NEDLAC COMMUNITY CONSTITUENCY GDS PROGRESS UPDATE TO LABOUR PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE TUESDAY, 29 AUGUST 2006

GDS AGREEMENT: The Community Constituency will assist in mobilising participants for EPWPs and in identifying potential projects at the local level The Womens National Coalition (WNC) has launched and mobilised participants for the following projects: Free State 300 participants for construction and road fencing 10 participants for Hotel management and catering 69 participants for home-based care people living with HIV/AIDS

GDS AGREEMENT: The Community Constituency will assist in mobilising participants for EPWPs and in identifying potential projects at the local level KZN 300 participants for integrated community home-based care for children of working mothers and the aged. Limpopo 200 participants in agricultural cooperatives and poultry farming. The South African Youth Council (SAYC) launched a programme in August 2003 aimed at fencing national and regional roads, national parks and railway lines.

GDS AGREEMENT: The Community Constituency will assist in mobilising participants for EPWPs and in identifying potential projects at the local level National Co-operatives Association of South Africa (NCASA) (NCASA) launched the SA Housing Co-operatives Association (SAHCA) in May 2004 which will participate in EPWPs.

GDS AGREEMENT: The community constituency will promote training in government tender procedures The Disabled People South Africa (DPSA) through the Quadraplegic Association of South Africa is conducting capacity building workshops for 134 disabled persons (54 in Cape Town and 75 in JHB) between January and December 2006, on how to write a Business Plan, how to start a Self-Help Centre, and how to do a Strategic Plan.

GDS AGREEMENT: Support for co-operatives National Co-operatives Association of South Africa (NCASA) has launched over 400 primary co-operatives and each co-operative has sent delegates to attend a Member Education Forum (July 2004), which focused training on government tender procedures. NCASA is currently partnering the Dti in its Incentive Programme, which targets 100 co-operatives countrywide.. Umsobomvu Youth Fund is supporting a number Youth Cooperatives Pilot projects ranging from brick making, agriculture to baking, sewing and fashion designing. The UYF Cooperatives programme recently convened a conference to showcase and share experiences.

GDS AGREEMENT: Support for Co-operatives The South African Housing Cooperative Association has established 50 primary co-operatives between 2005 and 2006 in the Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and Northern Cape provinces NCASA hosted a housing co-operative seminar in August 2005 NCASA in partnership with the KZN local government launched an awareness month in various municipalities during 2005 The South African Federation of Burial Societies (SAFOBS) has established 230 burial societies consisting of members.

GDS AGREEMENT: Support for Co-operatives The Women on Farms Project launched a Women’s Co-operative Programme in 2004 to organise, train and improve the livelihoods of women seasonal workers. The programme set out to facilitate the establishment and support of effective functioning of cooperatives of seasonal women agricultural workers comprising of women each. To date, a total of 3 co-operatives have been established and is comprised of 30 women who used to be seasonal farm workers.

GDS AGREEMENT: Mobilise communities to participate in credit co-operatives for collective savings The Savings and Credit Co-operative League (SACCOL) in conjunction with the Umsobomvu Youth Fund in 2005 established a savings and credit initiative to provide capacity support, a credit extension program and credit guarantee to Savings and Credit Co-operatives. The program has created 180 jobs in its first 6 months. SACCOL provided training for fifteen administrators and loan officers. To date, SACCOL has established 40 primary savings and credit co-operatives with a combined membership of

GDS AGREEMENT:Work with the Department of Labour on a joint marketing campaign on learnerships following the Growth and Development Summit The CC has commissioned a research study in April 2005 to examine the effectiveness of the learnership programme and particularly the relationship between the levels of registration and levels of completion. The findings of the study would be tabled at the CC’s skills development seminar in September 2006, and subsequently, at the DoL’s national skills development colloquium in October Epilepsy South Africa has established national and branch levels skills development and employment equity committees for 200 members during April 2006

GDS AGREEMENT: Ensure that young people, especially in rural areas, are informed of learnership opportunities and register with labour centres and Employment and Skills Development Agencies The Disabled People of South Africa through the Mayivuke learnership programme has registered 100 disabled people on Information and Technology learnerships DPSA has conducted ABET training for 34 disabled persons The DPSA through the Epilepsy South Africa has conducted a National Skills Audit during March and April 2006, involving 200 disabled persons.

GDS AGREEMENT: Local Action and Implementation The Community constituency hosted a conference on sustainable livelihoods in October 2005 under the theme ‘Mobilising our people for realising Sustainable Livelihoods’. The overall objective of the conference was to develop a shared perspective and a practical and measurable programme of action for sustainable livelihoods upon which to galvanise local communities.

GDS Priorities for Engaging NEDLAC social partners on the decent work deficits of the informal economy Engaging NEDLAC social partners on the decent work deficits of the informal economy Advocating for the inclusion of community representatives on SETA Boards Advocating for the inclusion of community representatives on SETA Boards Identifying and pursuing appropriate initiatives to build the capacity of communities to more effectively participate in development processes and programmes Identifying and pursuing appropriate initiatives to build the capacity of communities to more effectively participate in development processes and programmes Campaigning for the decentralisation of social dialogue to the local level Campaigning for the decentralisation of social dialogue to the local level