Deputy Minister Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala: Ministerial Strategic Planning Meeting

Opening remarks at the Ministerial Strategic Planning Meeting by Deputy Minister Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala (MP)

Chairperson, Minister Nomakhosazana Meth,

Deputy Minister, Jomo Sibiya
Acting Director-General,

Senior Management of the Department,
Chief Executive Officers and Boards of our Public Entities,
Distinguished representatives from the Presidency,
NEDLAC,
Statistics South Africa,
The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition,
The World Bank,
The Government Technical Advisory Centre,
Members of our Audit and Risk Management Committees,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

Let me begin by extending my warm compliments of the new season to all of you. It is my honour to thank you for availing yourselves for what is a critical engagement in the life of this Department and, indeed, of our country.

As we gather here this morning, we do so with a clear understanding that this meeting is not a routine exercise. It is a legislative requirement, a governance imperative, and—most importantly—a strategic moment to reflect honestly on our performance, recalibrate where necessary, and chart a credible path forward that responds to the South African socio-economic reality.

This Strategic Planning Session is firmly anchored in the NDP Vision 2030, the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) 2024–2029, and the Statement of Intent of the 7th Administration, which places inclusive economic growth, job creation, and the building of a capable, ethical, and developmental state at the centre of government action.

Before I proceed further, allow me to commend the Department for the successful hosting of the G20 Employment Working Group meetings last year, including the bilateral engagements our Department held with other European, Asian and African countries on the margins of those processes.

Those engagements elevated South Africa's standing on global labour and employment matters and provided a platform to strengthen partnerships and align our domestic priorities with international commitments on decent work, social justice, and inclusive growth.

Colleagues,

The purpose of this Strategic Planning Meeting is clear: to ensure alignment between policy intent, strategic planning, and implementation important the nexus between budget and policy implementation. Planning, in and of itself, does not create jobs, enforce labour laws, or protect workers. Implementation does.

And implementation requires clarity of purpose, accountability, and disciplined execution.

Under the MTDP 2024–2029, government has committed itself to decisive action on a focused set of priorities, including:

• Reducing unemployment materially, with a particular emphasis on youth, women, and persons with disabilities;
• Creating sustainable and decent work through inclusive growth and industrial development;
• Strengthening labour market regulation and enforcement;
• Improving public employment services and labour market intermediation; and
• Building a capable, ethical, and developmental state.

The Department of Employment and Labour is central to the achievement of these targets. We are not a peripheral department. We are a service delivery department at the heart of the government's employment and social justice agenda.

Our contribution to the MTDP must therefore be tangible and measurable. It includes:

• Expanding and strengthening Public Employment Services, particularly work-seeker registration, profiling, placement, and job matching;
• Intensifying labour inspections and enforcement, including compliance with the National Minimum Wage, Occupational Health and Safety, and Basic Conditions of Employment;
• Advancing employment equity and workplace transformation, and addressing stubborn patterns of exclusion;
• Strengthening social dialogue through NEDLAC, to support labour stability, social compacts, and economic reform; and
• Supporting active labour market programmes, skills development, and partnerships that improve employability and job retention.

Colleagues,

As we all know, unemployment remains the single greatest challenge confronting our country. While recent labour market data reflects modest improvements in certain areas, the challenge remains structural, deep-seated, and unevenly distributed.

Young people continue to bear the brunt of exclusion from economic opportunity, and this reality must shape every decision we take in this planning cycle. This is why the presence of Statistics South Africa and our external partners is so important. Our strategies must be data-driven, evidence-based, and responsive to labour market realities, not assumptions.

The presence of our external stakeholders on the first day of this meeting is deliberate and strategic. We look forward to robust engagements with the Presidency, DTIC, NEDLAC, the World Bank, and GTAC on the macro-economic outlook, industrial performance, labour market trends, and the reforms required to unlock inclusive growth and employment creation.

Minister,

As this is also a strategic session focusing on our public entities, expectations must be clear and unambiguous. These entities are not ends in themselves. They are instruments of the state, established to advance government priorities.

We expect our entities to demonstrate, clearly and convincingly, how their strategies and programmes contribute directly to employment outcomes, including:

• Supporting ailing businesses and protecting existing jobs;
• Responding to global economic pressures and shocks, including trade disruptions and tariff increases of up to 30 per cent in some sectors; and
• Improving productivity, sustainability, and competitiveness.

This meeting must capture the milestones achieved by our entities, acknowledge challenges honestly, and—most importantly—outline what is to be done differently going forward.

We also expect decisive action in addressing matters raised by the Auditor-General, as well as recurring concerns emanating from the Parliamentary Budget Review and Recommendation Report (BRRR) process, particularly in relation to governance, financial management, and performance.

Where commitments have been made—especially regarding unbundling processes with clear timelines, as promised at the level of the Portfolio Committee—delivery and accountability are non-negotiable.

Colleagues,

Our country is also confronting a serious challenge regarding immigration and labour market regulation. Guided by the Department of Home Affairs Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection, the Department's posture must be firm, constitutional, and developmental taking into account the labour market needs of our economy.

We cannot ignore growing concerns around illegal and undocumented foreign nationals occupying jobs, particularly in sectors where evidence suggests that up to 90 per cent of employees are non-South African. Our inspection, enforcement, and legislative interventions must reinforce the principle that South Africans must be prioritised for employment, while upholding human dignity and the rule of law.

Our legislative programme remains a critical lever in this regard. This includes, but is not limited to, the Employment Equity framework, which represents a historic achievement in advancing transformation. We must continue the fight to protect these gains, strengthen monitoring, and ensure consistent compliance and enforcement across all sectors of the economy.

Equally important is service delivery. Our labour centres must be transformed into centres of excellence institutions that are efficient, accessible, people-centred, and capable of restoring public confidence in the state.

We must also confront, without hesitation, the corruption monster. Corruption undermines development, weakens institutions, and erodes public trust. It must be declared an enemy of the developmental state. Each and every one of us from senior leadership to frontline officials has a responsibility to combat corruption through ethical conduct, transparency, and consequence management.

Before I conclude, allow me to extend my sincere appreciation to our external speakers and stakeholders, including members of our Audit and Risk Management Committees. Your insights will be invaluable as we refine our strategies and prepare to deliver on our Ministerial Commitments and Annual Performance Plan targets for 2026/27.

In closing, let me assure you that you have the full support of the Executive, provided that our strategic plans translate into credible implementation, measurable outcomes, and real improvements in the lives of South Africans.

Let us approach this Strategic Planning Session with clarity of purpose, a spirit of collaboration, and unwavering commitment to advancing the South African developmental agenda.

Thank you, and I look forward to robust deliberations.

#GovZAUpdates