The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Gauteng welcomes the launch of the Gauteng Human Resource Development Council by Premier Panyaza Lesufi as an important intervention towards addressing the province’s unemployment crisis, particularly amongst young people. The Council seeks to bring together government, organised labour, business and academic institutions to better align education, training and skills development with the needs of the provincial economy.

As organised labour, COSATU Gauteng has consistently argued that South Africa cannot overcome unemployment, poverty and inequality without investing in the skills, education and productive capacity of its people. We therefore support initiatives that strengthen coordination between key stakeholders to ensure that workers and job seekers are equipped with relevant and future-oriented skills.

However, the success of this initiative will not be measured by its launch, but by its implementation and its ability to create decent, sustainable jobs. Gauteng’s unemployment rate remains unacceptably high, with young people bearing the greatest burden. Workers are expecting tangible outcomes, not another structure that produces reports without changing the lived realities of communities.

COSATU Gauteng calls on the Human Resource Development Council to prioritise:

• The expansion of artisan development, apprenticeships and vocational training linked directly to employment opportunities.
• Strong partnerships with Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, universities and Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to ensure that training responds to labour market demands.
• Skills development programmes that target township and informal settlement communities, women, persons with disabilities and other historically marginalised groups.
• Greater investment in public sector skills development, particularly in health, education, infrastructure and municipal services where critical vacancies continue to undermine service delivery.
• Transparent monitoring mechanisms to ensure that public funds allocated to skills development produce measurable employment outcomes.

The Federation further emphasises that skills development alone cannot resolve unemployment. Government must simultaneously accelerate infrastructure investment, support industrialisation, strengthen local procurement, combat corruption, and implement policies that stimulate economic growth capable of absorbing skilled workers into decent employment.

COSATU Gauteng welcomes organised labour’s inclusion in the Council and commits itself to actively contributing towards ensuring that workers’ interests remain central to the Council’s work. The voices of workers must shape skills planning, as they possess invaluable knowledge of workplace realities and the changing demands of industry.

We also welcome the provincial government’s continued focus on creating opportunities for young people from township communities through targeted training and employment programmes. These initiatives must be expanded, properly funded and linked to permanent employment opportunities rather than temporary interventions.

The Federation will continue engaging with the Gauteng Provincial Government and all social partners to ensure that the Gauteng Human Resource Development Council becomes an effective instrument for inclusive economic growth, decent work and social justice.

Issued by COSATU Gauteng

Provincial Chairperson: Cde Amos Monyela: 079 493 5002

Provincial Secretary: Cde Louisah Modikwe: 082 297 2659