Taung- North West Finance MEC Paul Sebegoe announced that a budget allocation of R176 million has been set aside to create 20 000 labour intensive initiative job opportunities. The MEC announced that it is expected that these job opportunities should be created as of 01 December this year at an average stipend of R2 200 per month per beneficiary.

These labour intensive job opportunities will be distributed equitably throughout the province with the view of reducing unemployment and creating jobs for the people of this province. It is expected that 5 652 jobs will be created in Ngaka Modiri Molema, 5 098 for Bojanala; 4 459 for Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati and 4 791 for Dr Kenneth Kaunda.

Sebegoe indicated that the North West province is amongst the poorest provinces in the country with an unemployment rate of 24.7 per cent as at end September 2013, coupled with soaring levels of poverty, which is currently around 46 per cent; uneven spread of wealth as well as poor conditions of infrastructure that adversely affect the ability to attract potential investors.

“We can appreciate the fact that whilst government has put into place programmes that provide young graduates with practical workplace experience; huge employment demands still exist in the unskilled and semi-skilled sector of society. It is within that context that the provincial government has committed resources towards creation of labour intensive job opportunities in the province in order to address some of the immediate challenges government is facing”, said Sebegoe.-TDN
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