Job grant won’t replace youth wage

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Jeff Radebe. Photo: Sizwe Ndingane

A proposed job seekers grant to help unemployed young people find work would not replace the youth wage subsidy, ANC head of policy Jeff Radebe said on Wednesday.

“It's not a replacement for the wage subsidy... (but) whether it's succeeding or not will be contested in the next 24 hours,” Radebe said at Midrand.

He was briefing reporters on the sidelines of the African National Congress' national policy conference in Midrand.

He said the proposal for the job seekers grant was submitted by the National Youth Development Agency and the ANC Youth League.

It formed part of the ANC's discussion document on social transformation and would be debated during commissions on Wednesday evening.

On Tuesday, President Jacob Zuma, who is also the party's leader, said the job seekers grant would help young people while they actively looked for employment. The grant would be linked to the compulsory skills development programmes.

The youth wage subsidy programme was announced by Zuma in 2010, but its introduction has been postponed. It is currently under discussion at the National Economic Development and Labour Council.

The subsidy involves a R5 billion tax credit to be introduced over three years to promote the employment of young people.

Radebe said most of Wednesday had been spent discussing the ANC's documents on strategy and tactics, which included the second transition, and organisational renewal.

Commissions would start debates on the party's 11 other documents on Wednesday evening. Commissions would start to report back on Thursday morning, said Radebe.

The first report would be on strategy, tactics and organisational renewal. - Sapa