The Department of Labour (DoL) in an effort to step up service delivery efforts is currently assessing the location of its delivery services points and was also in advanced stage to decentralise some of its services.
DoL Director-General Nkosinathi Nhleko told members of the Select Committee on Labour and Public Enterprises in Cape Town today (October 31) that the assessment of location of Labour Centres - the key service points of the department in provinces - was intended to address bottlenecks in services delivery.
He said among a range of services that would be decentralised include those of the Compensation Fund, that deals with services of workers’ occupational injury claims. Nhleko said issues around decentralisation were capacity related matters intended to free the use of resources efficiently, instead of centralising everything.
Nhleko said the social landscape and dynamics of South Africa had changed in recent years as a result of urbanisation and migration patterns. He said this has necessitated in some areas a need to open new Labour Centres, merge some labour centres and also expand the services.
Briefing the Committee on the department’s annual report for the year ended 31 March 2012, Nhleko said the department had also made strides by reducing its vacancy rate from above eight percent to 7,2%, and efforts were on track to reduce it further.
“We have stepped up efforts to fill these vacancies within a short space of time and this is possible to do so. We undertake to brief members on the progress,” Nhleko said.
Members of the Committee applauded the department for posting an unqualified audit for the second year in the running, following six years of qualified audit. The Committee cautioned that the clean audits needed to be sustained as part of 2014 Clean Audit campaign and beyond.
Nhleko said the department has put in place monitoring mechanisms to pay attention to areas of regression that were noted by the office of the Auditor-General in relation to non-compliance with rules and regulations in financial management.
The Director-General also informed the Select Committee on Labour and Public Enterprises that the policy framework towards attainment of legal status and development of a business plan for Sheltered Employment Factories (SEF) had been finalised and approved. He said the plan was ready for implementation to turn around SEF business.
SEF is an entity of the Department of Labour. SEF was established by Government more than 60 years ago to provide employment opportunities for disabled people.
The entity currently employs more than 1 000 disabled workers in its 12 factories located across South Africa. Products manufactured by the factories include metal work, furniture, textiles, leather work, and book binding.
“The SEF was founded in 1940’s and was identified as a priority project then to deal with challenges post 2nd World War. The economic dynamics have changed. We are faced with challenges of transformation, job creation and how to deal with problems faced by disabled people. Therefore, the way forward calls for change in how we manage the business case of SEF,” Nhleko said.
