Business leader Patrice Motsepe’s Motsepe Foundation, together with 33 religious and faith-based organisations (RFBOs), on Thursday launched a R100-million Job Creation, Skills and Training Fund.  

Motsepe said this was in response to South Africa’s 29% unemployment rate and 55% youth unemployment rate.

He stated that there was a lot of outstanding creativity and talent within RFBOs and that he was confident that the partnership would create thousands of sustainable jobs, instill hope and contribute to improving the living conditions and standards of many poor, unemployed and marginalised South Africans.

Motsepe said there were significant opportunities to create sustainable jobs in agriculture, farming and agri-businesses as a result of the collaboration between RFBOs and partnerships that the Motsepe Foundation was initiating between traditional leaders, kings, their communities, as well as black and white farmers.

Each of the 33 RFBOs will appoint two members to serve on an advisory council of the fund, while one member from each organisation will serve on the Motesepe Foundation’s Sustainable Job Creation Committee.

RFBOs will in their respective capacities determine deserving persons in their organisations to create applications. The Sustainable Job Creation Committee will then assess and evaluate these applications from RFBOs and will recommend their deserving applications to the advisory council for its consideration and approval.

Thereafter, the applications will be submitted to the Motsepe Foundation for approval and further steps to realise jobs.

Motsepe noted that opportunities for job creation would be determined by the RFBOs, the foundation and other partners continuously.

He explained that people could also apply for assistance through RFBOs or the Motsepe Foundation, even if they were not members of a specific RFBO.

He added that other donors and funders who contribute more than R50-million to the fund would also be entitled to appoint two members to serve on the advisory council and one to the Sustainable Job Creation Committee.

These donors and funders will also receive applications, that have been approved by the advisory council, for funding and assistance.

The Motsepe Foundation and the RFBOs will soon start functioning and contact potential donors, private corporations, social entrepreneurs and partners to discuss collaboration and partnerships.

The fund is structured to operate in a simple, nontechnical and flexible manner, while adhering to global good practice on governance, auditing and ethics to give donors the assurance and comfort they may require.

Motsepe confirmed that the foundation and the RFBOs would have its first advisory council meeting on November 25 to discuss the first batch of applications and progress with other donors.

Fund meetings would be held four times a year, he said.

In response to why this fund was not aligned with government’s Youth Employment Service, but instead functioned on its own, Motsepe said he preferred working at speed to realise opportunities, without applications being subject to the bureaucratic processes of government.

Participating RFBOs across the country include Zion Christian Church, Catholic Church, Anglican Church of Southern Africa, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, Dutch Reformed Church, Union of Orthodox Synagogues, Jamiat Ulama, Nazareth Baptist Church, SA Hindu Maha Sabha, Muslim Judicial Council, Evangelical Alliance, Green Orthodox Church and South African Council of Churches.