Skills Development

South Africa's skills development landscape is witnessing intensified public-private collaboration and renewed government commitment to employment creation, with initiatives spanning career guidance, artisan entrepreneurship, labour market reform and renewable energy training, even as enforcement tightens around undocumented workers and officials face scrutiny over bursary maladministration. The Phunya Tsela Career Expo returns to the John Taolo Gaetsewe District in the Northern Cape on June 24 to 25, 2026, engaging more than 4 000 Grade 12 learners through exhibitions, bursary support, STEM activations and digital learning opportunities. Established in 2015, the Kasi Career Expo platform has evolved into a year-round development initiative supported by mining houses including Assmang, Kudumane Manganese Resources, SIOC Community Development Trust and Tshipi é Ntle Manganese Mining, alongside government departments, SETAs and educational institutions. The initiative supports national priorities relating to youth employment, education and school-to-work transitions, with CEO Tumelo Mpolokeng of the John Taolo Gaetsewe Developmental Trust emphasising that meaningful public-private collaboration creates real opportunities for young people. The 2026 programme aligns with the national "Milestones of Freedom" theme and positions itself as a catalytic partnership platform strengthening collaboration around shared education and youth development priorities.

Applications for the Artisans of Mzansi competition, powered by Allan Gray Makers, remain open until June 30, 2026, offering prize money of up to R200 000 to qualified artisan business owners aged 50 or under. The initiative seeks to showcase artisan entrepreneurs as relatable role models to attract more young people into the technical trades, addressing a critical gap in which South Africa requires 30 000 artisans annually but only half that number enter the sector each year. Eight finalists will receive pitch-readiness training before presenting to judges at a gala dinner, with prize categories spanning micro to very small business (R50 000), small business (R100 000), medium business (R200 000) and an innovation award with no revenue requirement (R100 000). Programme Director Seth Mulli says the initiative seeks to change negative perceptions around the trades by finding the best artisan entrepreneurs in the country.

The Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour has called for urgent implementation of employment commitments announced in the 2026 State of the Nation Address, cautioning that President Cyril Ramaphosa's pledge to create two-million work opportunities by 2030 and recruit 10 000 labour inspectors must be matched by clear implementation plans, measurable outcomes and adequate resources. Committee members raised concerns about the funding model, recruitment timelines and institutional capacity to absorb and deploy such a significant number of inspectors, while stressing that employment initiatives must extend beyond temporary work opportunities to create pathways to sustainable employment. The department informed the committee that the current UIF-funded 20 000 Inspector and Enforcement Services internship programme is intended to serve as a pipeline for future labour inspector appointments, subject to engagements with National Treasury, with the first phase of 10 000 recruits already under way and a second phase planned for the 2027/28 financial year. Committee Chairperson Boyce Maneli says South Africans want to see real jobs, real opportunities and measurable progress, and the committee will monitor implementation closely to ensure employment interventions deliver sustainable results.

Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth says her department is intensifying efforts to tackle unemployment through a combination of employment programmes, skills development initiatives and labour market reforms, declaring 2026 the "year of putting young South Africans to work". The department has been allocated R4.5-billion for the 2026/27 financial year, while the Unemployment Insurance Fund and Compensation Fund have budgets of R41-billion and R28-billion respectively. The revamped Labour Activation Programme aims to create 200 000 opportunities during the current financial year, including placements for TVET students, graduate interns, trainee engineers, accountants and health inspectors, with greater emphasis on training aligned to labour market demands, particularly around digital skills. Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya warned that labour inspections and enforcement operations would be intensified, with tougher penalties including criminal charges for employers who repeatedly break the law, particularly those hiring undocumented foreign workers who can be paid below the national minimum wage and are more vulnerable to exploitation.

The Special Investigating Unit's investigation into the Free State Office of the Premier has uncovered serious maladministration and unauthorised awarding of bursaries, with officials awarding bursaries to their relatives, the deceased and foreign nationals, as well as to ineligible officials, resulting in irregular expenditure of more than R8.3-million. The investigation, authorised under Proclamation 123 of 2023, revealed that officials approved bursaries negligently, failed to comply with eligibility criteria and irregularly extended bursary contracts, with some students receiving bursaries for qualifications not part of the 2018/19 Provincial Workplace Skills Plan. The SIU has made 38 disciplinary referrals against implicated officials and referred evidence indicating criminal offences against seven individuals to the National Prosecuting Authority for possible prosecution on charges including fraud, theft and money laundering. Acting SIU Head Leonard Lekgetho says the investigation has exposed not just maladministration but a moral failure, a collapse of civic duty and ethical leadership, with officials turning opportunity into exploitation and service into self-interest.