By Levy Masiteng
A total of 231 young people from low-income communities have moved into formal employment after graduating from the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP), eThekwini Municipality said on Wednesday.
The municipality said the programme, run in partnership with Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPESA), is aimed at tackling youth unemployment while supporting the growth of Durban’s Global Business Services (GBS) sector.
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The PESP was launched in October 2020 as part of the country’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan to cushion the labour market from the economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It uses taxpayer money to create jobs and support livelihoods.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his February State of the Nation Address that more than 2.5 million opportunities had been created through the stimulus, mainly for young people and women.
The graduation ceremony for the eThekwini cohort took place in Umhlanga.
eThekwini said in a statement that the training programme served as “a high-impact solution to youth unemployment” and used an impact-sourcing model to drive inclusive economic growth.
It said the GBS sector remained a key economic driver for the region, with eThekwini and KwaZulu-Natal accounting for about 13% of South Africa’s total GBS sector.
It said the region’s growth had accelerated, with nearly 15,000 jobs created between 2018 and 2020, while 6,909 new sustainable jobs were added in 2024 alone.
Durban also hosts 25% of the national GBS export segment, the statement said.
The graduation ceremony was supported by Economic Development and Planning Committee Chairperson Councillor Thembo Ntuli.
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While presenting certificates to graduates, Takalani Rathiyaya, deputy director for the city’s Industry Development Division, praised BPESA’s role in the initiative.
“A heartfelt appreciation goes to BPESA for its strong commitment to creating meaningful job opportunities and providing relevant skills. We are currently working on renewing our memorandum of agreement with BPESA KZN to continue scaling a skilled workforce,” Rathiyaya said.
He added that the graduation was evidence of the value of cooperation between the public and private sectors in promoting inclusive development.
Industry leaders who also addressed the programme included Robin Hoekstra, chairperson of BPESA KZN and chief executive of Outworx, and Reshni Singh, chief executive of BPESA National.
The municipality said the continued success of the PESP initiative would help keep Durban “at the forefront of the global digital economy”, while creating sustainable employment opportunities for young people and strengthening the region’s economic resilience.
