Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant will on Monday, 15 September on behalf of South Africa with her counterpart Human Resources and Social Security Minister, Yin Weimin of the People’s Republic of China, sign a cooperation agreement in the fields of human resource development and employment service.
The parties seek to cooperate in the following areas:
- Strategies and programmes that would enhance the provision of employment services
- Strengthening of labour inspection services
- Social security (Unemployment Insurance and Compensation of Employees)
- Employment programmes to meet the challenges of the labour market and globalisation
- Such other areas as may be agreed upon in writing by the parties.
The Chinese delegation led by Yin is expected to arrive in South Africa on Friday, 12 September. Later in the day the visiting party is expected to meet with South Africa’s Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini.
On Monday, 15 September, Yin will meet Oliphant in Parliament Complex, 120 Plein Street in Committee Room 1 at 10h30 in Cape Town. Their meeting will culminate in the signing of the Forms of cooperation agreement: on the exchange of visits at Ministerial level; the exchange visits by senior officials and study tour groups in specialised fields; the exchange of experts to undertake training courses and seminars; the exchange of materials on human resource development and employment services.
The cooperation will also extend on the exchange of employment programmes for gaining the necessary skills required by the globalised labour market, coordination of positions in international labour organisations and at regional and international fora.
Yin’s visit to South Africa follows Oliphant’s similar tour to PRC last August in which her itinerary included visits to Beijing's local Labour Inspection Bureau where she met with Yin to strengthen relations in areas of labour market and social security development.
The Oliphant-led delegation also visited the Tianjin Social Security Insurance Bureau, about 100 kilometres outside Beijing. The visit was about to get first-hand experience on how the municipality implements best practices in the field of social security benefits.
Oliphant was left raving by the seamless operations at the Tianjin City’s Social Security Service Centre. The Minister witnessed how the Chinese’s Centre was able to manage “one social security benefit scheme” using a single card for unemployment insurance, old age pensions, workmen’s compensation, medical scheme, foster grants, and maternity benefits among others.
Oliphant also paid a visit to the Public Employment Centre in Haidian District in Beijing Municipality (the equivalent of what is called Public Employment Services) in South Africa. The Centre provides employment services for unemployed people including the rural migrant. The unemployed, youth and disabled are provided an array of services ranging from placements, career guidance to training.
China and South Africa are also members of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) economic bloc.
Contact:
Acting Ministerial Liaison Officer
Cell: 082 808 2168
E-mail: Mokgadi.Pela@labour.gov.za
