To download the soundbite of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour, Mr Boyce Maneli, click here: https://iono.fm/e/1506833

The Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour welcomed a briefing it received yesterday from the Department of Employment and Labour on progress on the repositioning of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the Compensation Fund (CF) and the reconfiguration of the department.

Describing the repositioning project as "a breath of the fresh air", during the engagements the committee underscored the necessity of unbundling the funds given the failure of the turnaround strategies to improve operations and meet the mandates of both funds. The committee commended the department for the creation of a Project Management Office to steer the project towards achieving its objectives and meeting the project timeframes.

Noting the complexity of the project in its engagement with the department, which was led by Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya, the committee called for close collaboration between all the relevant roleplayers, including the relevant government departments, as the success of this massive project depends entirely on collective action arising from collective wisdom. The committee also called on the department to always be motivated by the project's objectives, which include the efficiency and productivity of both funds for the benefit of their beneficiaries.

The department assured the committee that there was no intended employees retrenchment and privatisation of the funds as a result of the project. The committee urged the department to ensure that the restructuring creates employment opportunities to allay any fears and anxiety about the process.

The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Boyce Maneli, advised the department to begin the legislative process so that by the time the unbundling of the funds and the reconfiguration of the department projects are completed, the legislative process has made some progress.