PRELIMINARY REPORTS ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT REVEALPROGRESS

Nedlac's Executive Council received preliminary reports from constituencies that show that some progress has been made on implementing all aspects of the GDS.

Expanded public works programmes (EPWP)

Government has been fleshing out the details of the Expanded Public Works Programme, which aims to provide one million employment opportunities with training to unemployed people, within the first 5 years of the programme. Fifteen billion rand will be spent on labour-intensive upgrading of rural and municipal roads and pipelines, storm water drains and sidewalks. EPWP will build 37 000 km of roads, 31 000km of pipelines, 1500km of storm water drains and 150 km of urban sidewalks.

Through the Land Care Programme, the National Department of Agriculture created 2 455 temporary and 92 permanent jobs between June and September 2003. The Department also trained 2 285 people in different skills.

Labour Job Creation Trust

The Labour Job Creation Trust (JCT) is providing funding for projects in mostly rural areas for the benefit of communities, as opposed to individuals. The JCT has so far committed about R61.4 million, of which R26.3 million is in implementation. It had disbursed

R16,4 million to 31 December 2003. The estimated jobs, both temporary and permanent, created through this partnership stands at 4 661.

Support for co-operatives

The GDS commits parties to ensuring that an appropriate regulatory system is in place for co-operatives. A draft Bill and co-operative development strategy is currently being discussed in Nedlac and a Task Team has been established.

The task team is also planning a study tour and conference for later in the year.

The dti has allocated R3.5 million to the National Cooperatives Association of South Africa (NCASA) for administrative support of co-operatives, and the Co-operatives Development Unit at the dti has been beefed up with the appointment of more staff. The National Treasury, in consultation with the SARB, is finalising draft legislation to regulate co-operative financial institutions.

Individual labour affiliates have been working to establish savings unions (amongst others, Nehawu and Samwu).

Small enterprise promotion In support of the development of SMMEs, the National Department of Agriculture initiated 12 projects valued at R1.2 million between June and September 2003.

The Department of Minerals and Energy initiated SMME training programmes to provide training to ex-mineworkers.

The first project is in the OR Tambo District municipality, Eastern Cape, whilst three more programmes are planned in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Northern Cape.

Government is creating Business Zones or Entrepreneurial Centres in MPCCs (Multi-purpose community centers). The first was launched in the Unobuntu MPCC in Worcester (Western Cape) in August, and two more are available at the Namahadi MPCC in the Free State and Matsamo MPCC in Mpumalanga.

On the tourism front, government is developing a database of BEE tourism enterprises, as well as a support

package for tourism SMMEs which will include training, marketing support and procurement assistance.

Labour is targeting small enterprise with its recruitment and living wage campaigns. It has commissioned research on land reform through the People's Budget Coalition. This speaks to the GDS commitment to support the development of small producers in agriculture.

Local procurement

Labour's contribution to supporting local procurement includes the December "buy local for Christmas campaign", the Sactwu Section 77 agreement, which resulted in the signing of a buy local agreement with clothing retail holding companies with a combined turnover of R40 billion. Sactwu's Cape Town Fashion Festival also promoted local procurement to tens of thousands of people.

The dti has set up a task team to take forward the issue of a label of origin in the clothing sector.

Business is developing an approach to its commitments with regards to promoting local procurement, which between its representatives on the board of Proudly South African, and its member organisations. It also committed to encouraging member organisations to develop sector-specific approaches to extending the membership of Proudly South African in key sectors, and to investigating strengthening the verification of performance by members.

Jobs impact and monitoring

Labour is working with a Business Trust group analysing employment data, and is preparing its own position paper on employment trends. A task team is yet to be set up for the constituencies to develop practical ways of gathering data on employment trends, including getting total employment figures from annual reports.