Search Results

SA News | 5 September 2023 To usher in Tourism Month and the upcoming Summer Campaign, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has welcomed Cabinet’s concurrence of ‘The Green Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa’ to be published for public comment. “The Green Paper comes at a particularly exciting time for tourism globally and in South Africa. Tourism is a growth sector and generator of jobs, and tourist destinations need to position themselves to take advantage of this sector’s recovery growth trajectory,” De Lille said. The tourism sector has continued to grow for the past decade, earning the reputation of being one of the most significant and fastest-growing sectors before COVID-19. In 2019, it contributed 3.7% to the local GDP and created 780 096 direct South African jobs. Despite numerous advances, the tourism sector lags relative to its potential. To respond to this challenge and to accelerate inclusive tourism growth, the Department of Tourism embarked on a process of reviewing the 1996 Tourism White Paper. The policy review process has yielded the Green Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa. The Green Paper seeks to sustainably grow a more inclusive tourism sector that creates mass employment, reacts to innovations and adapts to future crises. “The Green Paper seeks to facilitate growth and transformation of the tourism sector by creating an enabling regulatory environment for the present and future, especially with regards to technological developments. “The Green Paper further seeks to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to the broader economy and drive employment and entrepreneurship, whilst enabling the sector to adapt to future crises. “I invite the public to study The Green Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa and provide us with substantive comments,” the Minister said. The vision of the Green Paper is to sustainably and competitively grow the South African economy through an inclusive, inspiring, visitor-oriented tourism sector that consistently builds partnerships to strengthen the impact of the sector nationally, regionally and globally. Its aim is also to address barriers to tourism growth and to respond to the social cohesion imperatives of the country. Key elements include but are not limited to: • Implementation of a research-based tourism safety response programme in partnership with relevant agencies. • Develop and regularly review tourism crisis management framework to enable a response to crises. • Implementation of Tourism BBBEE Codes & strengthening mechanism for access to finance. • Facilitation of ease of access to the destination, especially as it relates to immigration and transport. • Recommitting the sector to the responsible tourism agenda. • Regulation of short-term rental accommodation to ensure policy certainty. To enable the sector to reach its potential, The Green Paper focuses on four policy thematic areas with a specific focus under each. The four thematic areas are: - Evolving former policy areas: Tourism governance, safety and security management and transformation. - Emerging policy issues: Embracing technology, crisis management, accessing the destination, quality visitor services, skills supply and employment and tourist services. - Policy issues for targeted growth: Prioritising rural and peri-urban tourism, enhancing domestic tourism for destination resilience and destination marketing and branding. - Sustainable growth model: Responsible tourism, knowledge management research and insights, tourism diplomacy, and tourism trade and investment. The significance of tourism within the South African economy is widely recognised. The New Growth Path, the National Development Plan (NDP) and several State of the Nation Addresses identify the tourism sector among the core contributors to the country's medium to long-term national economic goals. The 1996 Tourism White Paper predates many of these government frameworks, particularly the NDP, thus necessitating alignment. The country's Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP) identifies tourism recovery as one of the priority interventions to drive the reconstruction and recovery of the economy. The Tourism Sector's Recovery Plan also identifies the need to review the policy framework to support the sector's growth. The gazette for public comment was published on Friday 1 September and is available at: www.gpwonline.co.za/Documents/Government/49223%201-9%20Tourism.pdf. Any person who wishes to submit written inputs in connection with the Green Paper is invited to do so within 60 days from the date of the gazette. Submissions should be: a) Mailed to the Department of Tourism, for attention: Mr Senzo Nkala, Private Bag x424, Pretoria, 0001 b) Delivered by hand to the Tourism House, 17 Trevenna Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria, 0001 c) Emailed to TourismGreenPaper@tourism.gov.za. The Green Paper is also available on the Department’s website at www.tourism.gov.za. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/de-lille-invites-comments-tourism-green-paper

Bongani Mdakane | 4 September 2023 SPAR, which is one of the big five retailers in the country, alongside Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Woolworths and Walmart-owned Cambridge Foods, has agreed to end its exclusive leases by the end of December 2026 – thus opening opportunities, and ending a stranglehold on small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs). This after the SPAR group reached a consent agreement with the Competition Commission on the cessation of long-term exclusive leases this week. The mediation process was conducted under the guidance of Judge Dennis Davis – the chairperson of the Companies Tribunal. The agreement is seen as a victory, giving SMMEs and previously disadvantaged business owners who operate in informal retail markets an opportunity to spread and expand their retail wings. The agreement is also in response to the recommendations made by the Grocery Retail Market Inquiry (GRMI) and follows a similar consent agreements reached with Shoprite and Pick n Pay covering all national chains that had exclusive lease agreements in place, collectively. Commission spokesperson Siya Makunga said: “The exclusive lease agreements of Shoprite, Pick n Pay and SPAR covered close to 2 000 shopping malls and convenience centres nationally, and excluded any specialist or general grocery supermarkets from competing for consumers in those malls. “As more than 50% of grocery shopping journeys are to malls and convenience centres, collectively these leases prevented competition for most consumer purchases.” Makunga also stated that the leases also contributed significantly to the exclusion of SMMEs and historically disadvantaged persons-owned (HDPs) businesses in the grocery sector, where they are under-represented relative to other countries. “The end of exclusive leases opens opportunities for SMMEs and HDPs in thousands of shopping malls and convenience centres nationally. One of the key issues identified was the impact of long-term exclusive lease agreements on local competition.” GRMI, on its final report published in December 2019, concluded that long-term exclusive lease agreements limit consumer choice within shopping centres, sustain concentration levels, pose particular barriers to participation by SMMEs and HDPs, while hindering dynamism and innovation in the grocery retail sector. In terms of addressing these concerns, the commission recommended that national supermarket chains should voluntarily comply with specific measures to phase out exclusive leases within five years. “As a result of ongoing discussions between the commission and the SPAR group, a consent agreement has been reached that commits the SPAR group to cease enforcing exclusivity provisions for company-owned stores with immediate effect and will not include such provisions in future lease agreements. “In respect of SPAR group head leases for stores owned by Spar retail members, the SPAR group will cease enforcing exclusivity against SMMEs, HDP specialist stores and HDP supermarkets with immediate effect,” said Makunga. The agreement will exclude franchisees of national chains in the first year but will cover them thereafter. “The SPAR group will not include exclusivity provisions in any new head leases and will cease to enforce exclusivity against all competitors by December 2026. The SPAR Group will also actively seek to persuade SPAR retail members to adhere to the agreement’s provisions within 12 months from the date of signature,” he said. “This final consent agreement concludes the work of the commission in opening the grocery retail sector to competition and participation by all.” ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://sundayworld.co.za/news/business/spar-gives-smmes-a-boost-by-ending-exclusive-leases/

Arrie Rautenbach | 4 September 2023 Absa employees across the continent celebrated the launch of the Group’s landmark Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) transaction on 1 September 2023, underscoring the Group’s commitment to transformation, while enabling employees and communities to participate in the value generated by the Group. The transaction, one of the largest B-BBEE transactions in recent times, will also include beneficiaries of the Corporate Social Investment (CSI) Trust, making a meaningful difference in the lives of thousands of people who might not have access to education and employment opportunities. While black employees in South Africa, as defined in South Africa’s B-BBEE codes, will be the primary beneficiaries, the transaction recognises the contribution by all employees across the Group. Absa employees in South Africa will be awarded free shares while Absa employees in the 14 other countries in which the Group operates will be able to participate in a cash-equivalent programme, subject to local approvals. “The transaction is the next big step in our journey to building a diverse and inclusive organisation and it demonstrates our commitment to being an active force for good in everything we do,” said Absa Group CEO Arrie Rautenbach, who addressed employees participating in celebration events across the continent today. The transaction involves 7% of Absa Group’s total shareholding, valued at approximately R11.2 billion. All of Absa’s approximately 26 000 eligible employees in South Africa will be awarded shares, vesting in five years. Black employees will receive an additional 20% allocation. A CSI Trust will manage funds flowing from the transaction to benefit black communities in South Africa. “As a leadership team, we are delighted to deliver the transaction particularly to employees who will be able to participate in the value that they help generate every day,” said Rautenbach. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.politicsweb.co.za/politics/employees-celebrate-launch-of-landmark-bbbee-trans

SA News | 4 September 2023 Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, has commended the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) on the successful opening of the Babanango SMART Skills Centre, which will provide tech-enabled learning programmes. Nzimande unveiled the third and largest CHIETA SMART Skills Centre last week. It forms part of CHIETA’s efforts to bridge the digital skills divide and accelerate the development of basic digital skills in rural communities. The centre will provide tech-enabled learning programmes, including virtual and augmented reality, robotics and the Internet of Things, among others. Speaking at the launch, Nzimande said the Babanango area was specifically identified for the establishment of the SMART Skills Centre because it is in a deeply rural area of KwaZulu-Natal, without any internet connectivity. Nzimande said the centre will benefit the local community, including learners, students, job seekers and businesspeople. It will also provide youth with digital skills that will help to meet the demands of industries, which rely on technology to grow their enterprises. “The centre will advance skills development for the unemployed youth by offering programmes based on various technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR), blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), software development, data science and mobile repairs. “Through this centre, our unemployed youth will have access to various online learning platforms to start up successful and scalable data-driven commercial businesses that will provide technological solutions. This centre we also help us bridge the digital skills divide between urban and rural communities,” Nzimande said. The SMART Skills Centre is part of government’s bigger plans to revolutionise digital skills development in South Africa. The skills centres will further cater for Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) development, as they play a crucial role in the growth of the economy. SMMEs make up 34% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which was valued at $358 billion in 2019. Nzimande said through the National Development Plan (NDP), government has recognised the importance of SMMEs for job creation, innovation and sustainability of the country. “One of the goals outlined in the NDP was for 90% of new jobs to be created through SMMEs by 2030. This is against the backdrop that our country continues to struggle with the burgeoning problem of unemployment, particularly in its highly youthful population. “I am more than certain that this project will certainly give our youth and the community at large the opportunity to get or create employment because digital skills are required in most occupations in the 21st century. I am also hoping that this centre will be a catalyst to attract other developmental projects and programmes,” Nzimande said. The Minister announced that due to the successful implementation of CHIETA SMART Skills Centre, the department has taken a decision to expand this project in all nine provinces of the country. CHIETA CEO, Yershen Pillay, commended the partners who were involved in this initiative, including the department, Mthashana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college and Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA), among others. Pillay noted that this is one of the biggest smart skills centres in the country, which has, among others, cell phone repair skills, and will also provide free data to the community of Babanango. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/largest-chieta-smart-skills-centre-opens-rural-kzn

Over time, one Beneficiary can be an Enterprise Development and Supplier Development Beneficiary. However, they can only be either an Enterprise Development or Supplier Development at a particular time. Put another way, they may over time represent both elements, but it must be at different time frames, typically an Enterprise Development Beneficiary is elevated to that of the Supplier Development one. A simple determination is based on role they play in the supply chain. Clause 3.8 under Statement 400 of the Amended General B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice states: 3.8 A Supplier Development Beneficiary is a part of the Measured Entity’s supply chain, whereas an Enterprise Development Beneficiary is not. Enterprise & Supplier Development Services are available for Members to understand Beneficiary requirements.

An organisation may not claim the salary for an employee Bursar as part of its Bursary Programme. However, as per 2.1.1.2 of the Skills Development Scorecard under Statement 300 of the Amended General B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice, an organisation may claim a stipend for an unemployed Bursar. 2.1.1.2 refers: “Skills Development Expenditure on bursaries for ‘Black’ Students at Higher Education Institutions”. Based on prior behaviour, this principle results in organisations giving preference to unemployed Bursaries through which they can claim a higher overall cost. Members need to consider the return on investment as well as the B-BBEE points when developing their Bursary strategy and assess where Bursaries may fall into their Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and their Training Plan before being driven blindly by the B-BBEE points in isolation. Skills Development Services are available for assistance with Bursary Strategies for Members.

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition ( the dtic ) provides Sworn Affidavit templates for EMEs and relevant QSEs with at least 51% Black Ownership or more. These Sworn Affidavits address all the information necessary for a B-BBEE Verification. However, as per Statement 000 of the Amended General B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice, only a Sworn Affidavit is required, so if a personalised Sworn Affidavit that contains all the relevant information essential for a B-BBEE Verification is received, it will be deemed as valid. However, it is recommended that EMEs and QSEs with more than 51% Black Ownership use the templates provided by the dtic to avoid missing information that would invalidate a personalised Sworn Affidavit. Certificate Collection Services are available to assist members in determining the validity of a Sworn Affidavit.

SA News | 2 September 2023 The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) is having a positive socio-economic impact on the industry and the economy. This is according to the Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who was speaking during a media briefing on the Energy Action Plan on Saturday. Thus far, some 134 IPPs have been selected as preferred bidders, 11 904MW have been procured with 6180MW already operational and investment of R334.5 billion has been attracted for energy infrastructure. Ramokgopa said that through the programme, “about R85 billion…has been placed in the hands of black business”. “This is significant if we talk about the deracialisation of the South African economy. We are able to use our transition towards cleaner forms of energy to ensure that they provide significant meaning on this agenda of the deracialisation of the South African economy and we are having new participants, new entrants in the form of black players so that the democratic dividend is equitably distributed to all South Africans. “[The programme] has been able to produce over 72 153 job years. It is a computation that we are using for us to be able to account for the number of employment opportunities that have been created in the South African economy as a result of the interventions of the Renewable Energy Programme. This speaks to the areas of during construction and also during operations. “The Rand value of about R3.2 billion is what has been accumulated to the South African economy and this has got to significant impact in relation to socio-economic development and the areas of enterprise development so that we are able to expand the floor of opportunities to local communities, we are able to provide new skills that helps them to participate in this energy transition,” he said. Ramokgopa revealed that some R69 billion actual spend has been spent on local content. “There’s been a significant industrialisation on the back of the localisation of the components that are necessary to help us to decarbonise and transition. Our view is that on the back of this transition, on the back of this crisis, we must be able to expand the industrial base of the country. “And on the back of this decarbonisation, on the back of this resolution of this crisis, we are also able to address the challenge of unemployment, we are able to address the challenge of structural unemployment in the form of the skills that are required to support the kind of economy that we are constructing and this economy will be underpinned by renewable energy sources,” he said. On the environmental side, the Minister said REIPPPP projects have been able to offset some 97Mton of Carbon Dioxide with 114.7 million kilolitres of water saved. “This is meaningful. There’s a multiplicity of matrices that underpin the renewable agenda. It’s not just only on the complexion of the generation mix, on the reduction of the emission levels but it also plays an important role on the deracialisation of the work that we are doing,” Ramokgopa said. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/independent-power-producers-programme-reaping-rewards

Abongwe Kobokana | 3 September 2023 Parliament says it is unable to confirm whether it is going to give more time for further public submissions to be allowed over the process currently conducted on the Public Procurement Bill. The set current deadline on the legislative public consultation is the 13th of September. The bill was tabled in Parliament by Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana this year after a formal approval by the Cabinet. The major objective of the envisaged piece of legislation is to regulate public procurement in this country by providing a prescribed legislative framework to give guidance on the implementation of the preferential procurement. Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance, Joe Maswanganyi, was unable to give an exact answer on the issue of the possible extension for the public submissions. In accordance to Section 217 of the Constitution, South Africa’s procurement system must be fair, competitive, transparent, equitable and cost-effective. It is yet to be seen whether the 2016 Public Procurement Bill will be effective in minimising corruption and billions of rands of wastage of public resources, as it is still to be passed. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/parliament-undecided-on-extending-public-submissions-for-public-procurement-bill/

South Coast Herald | 2 September 2023 Minister Thulas Nxesi has fired back at the DA and says they have embarked 'on propaganda to mislead people'. Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi implored government to educate communities on the recently amended Employment Equity Act (EEA). Speaking at the Employment Equity road show in Chatsworth, Durban, on Thursday, Nxesi said there was still a long way to go towards emancipation. He added that following the signing into law of the EE Act amendments, ‘the DA has embarked on propaganda to mislead the people’. “People tell coloured communities that they will now be removed. That is propaganda,” he said. The DA protested against this amendment, claiming that the amended act was aimed at increasing the employment of black people in South Africa, and ‘600 000 people will lose their jobs because they have the ‘wrong’ skin colour or live and work in the ‘wrong’ areas’, DA leader John Steenhuisen said in a statement. The minister explained the pace of transformation at workplaces was at a snail’s pace. “Through the EE amendments, we want to deal with the Irish coffee syndrome — that is the society the DA wants,” Nxesi said. He added that the Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) report released in June showed that EE at workplaces is unfolding at a snail’s pace. The recent CEE report showed that top management was still occupied by white people, at 62.9 %, followed by Africans, at 16.9%. This, according to CEE, was despite the fact that Africans constituted 80% of the national economically active population (EAP), followed by coloureds at 9.3%, whites at 8% and Indians at 2.7%. “The CEE report says the most disadvantaged people and also under-represented are the coloured people. People tell coloured communities that they will now be removed. That is propaganda. In all economic sectors white people have been overly represented.” The minister expressed his agony at the economic sectors that have abandoned their charter commitments to transform. He said corruption has seemingly taken over and destroyed communities. “We had to postpone the promulgation of EE regulations to first hear the voices of people. Transformation is painful and not nice,” he said. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.citizen.co.za/south-coast-herald/lnn/article/labour-minister-clarifies-amended-employment-equity-act/

SA News | 31 August 2023 Cabinet has welcomed the Quarterly Labour Force Survey results which show a slight decrease in the unemployment rate from 32.9% in the first quarter to 32.6% in the second quarter of 2023. Briefing the media on the outcomes of a Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said Cabinet is pleased with the 154 000 new jobs created in the second quarter, taking the number of employed persons to 16.3 million. This as Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) recently released the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) data. “This is the seventh quarter of consecutive gains in employment inching South Africa closer to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic employment figure of 16.4 million. “Cabinet has also noted the green shoots with the reduction of youth unemployment by 131,000 and an increase of 105,000 in the number of employed youth to 5.7 million,” the Minister said on Thursday. Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) Meanwhile, Cabinet further welcomed Stats SA data that showed that the annual Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) slowed to 4.7% in July 2023, from 5.4% in June 2023. The annual inflation rate for goods was 5.5% for July 2023 from 6.3% in June 2023, whereas the inflation rate for services was 4.0% down from 4.5% in the same period. Agro-Energy Fund Meanwhile, Ntshavheni said Cabinet has noted the launch of a R1,21 billion Agro-Energy Fund. The fund aims to support the agriculture and agribusiness sector to install alternative energy sources and continue with food, fibre and beverages production. The fund was launched by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, collaboratively with the Land Bank earlier this week. “The sector is one of the intensive energy users and critical for the stability of South Africa’s food security, export earnings and employment, thus making this government intervention vital to ensure sustainability. “The Fund is inclusive and will support farming businesses of all scales in a blended finance approach, with the Land Bank managing the fund. The fund will also include all agriculture and agribusiness activities that are energy intensive,” Cabinet said. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/cabinet-welcomes-employment-gains

Sharmi Surianarain and Lerato Shai | 31 August 2023 As Women’s Month draws to a close, we reflect on the sobering picture that is female youth employment in South Africa. Despite temporary upward trends following the pandemic, female youth employment appears to have plateaued. This is while male youth employment has grown. According to Stats SA’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the second quarter of 2023, at least 2 million fewer women in the country were employed than men. Yet despite these trends, young women are more tenacious than ever. When given an equal opportunity, they seize it. Take, for example, education. In South Africa, young women consistently outperform their male counterparts academically. For every 100 men under 35 holding a matric, there are 112 women with the same qualification. Even more impressive is that young women with degree equivalents or higher exceed young men by 50%. Not only are younger women better educated than their male peers, but they are also more educated than their female seniors, closing in on gaps and, in many cases, surpassing men. For the population over the age of 35, at least 5% fewer women than men hold matric, and 15% fewer women than men hold degrees. This is a generational win for women. This educational accomplishment does not, however, translate to employment opportunities. Despite being more educated, women remain underrepresented in the labour market across all age groups. While the World Economic Forum’s latest Global Gender Gap report ranks South Africa 20th in the overall gender gap, the country performs dismally on wage equality for similar work, ranking 111th out of 146 countries. The work of partners in the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) demonstrates that even when faced with gender barriers that defy logic, women continue to actively look for work, no matter the odds. Two-thirds of the SA Youth platform’s network of more than 3.6 million are young women who are actively using it to search for opportunities and build their profiles – evidence of their competence and tenacity to do what it takes to earn. However, it’s insufficient for us to applaud the tenacity of young women. We need to design systems that actively favour them. The Department of Basic Education’s (DBE’s) school assistant programme — a flagship programme of the Presidential Employment Stimulus — exemplifies a proactive approach to mitigating employment barriers for women, including fewer educational requirements, placement close to their homes, a relatively safe working environment and mandated equal pay. Unsurprisingly, 70% of the programme’s participants were women. Though temporary, these roles have proven to be a stepping stone for many women. SA Youth has enabled nearly a million work opportunities for youth — two-thirds of which go to women. This is more evidence of the competence and tenacity of young women who are ready and willing to do what it takes to work. When we break barriers to women’s entry into male-dominated industries, women make the most of these opportunities. Take the installation, repair and maintenance (IRM) sector in South Africa. This has witnessed a surge in demand, but is highly skewed, with only 3% of licensed plumbers, for instance, being women. In partnership with the Institute of Plumbing South Africa, Harambee, the National Business Initiative and BluLever launched an initiative focused on gender and social inclusion funded by the UK government’s Skills for Prosperity to address this disparity. Our targets were ambitious — 50% of the opportunities were reserved for women, and gender equity was baked into every phase of the project value chain, from the young people on the programme to employers, sector bodies and training institutions. Employer training played a vital role in advancing this mission, as did elevating the voice of role models, and media campaigns like BluLever’s #Womenontools campaign. Innovative policies and legislation that protect the rights of pregnant work-seekers and employees, as well as opportunities for women to catch up on missed content, may seem like an extra investment, but are well worth it in terms of return on investment, with women seizing opportunities and outperforming expectations. Similarly, the Basic Package of Support (BPS) addresses these barriers head-on. The BPS is a programme led by a consortium of partners at the University of Cape Town, the University of Johannesburg and the DG Murray Trust. Several BPS pilot sites are run under the umbrella of the PYEI. BPS reaches out to young people who are not in employment, education or training (Neet) and offers face-to-face coaching to help them solve the multiple challenges that are keeping them trapped in Neet status. With a greater likelihood of living in income-poor households and carrying a heavier burden of care in the household, young women are especially vulnerable. Mikayla is a 21-year-old woman from Atlantis in the Western Cape who joined the BPS in June 2022. Her primary goal was to pursue her studies, but she also felt a responsibility to financially support her grandmother. Consequently, she initiated a job hunt and achieved success. After securing employment, her BPS coach encouraged her broader ambitions for higher education. Mikayla applied for a foundation phase teaching course; however, she was not accepted. Undeterred, she persevered, having developed a plan B with her coach. As a result, she is now pursuing studies in human resource management. “The BPS programme helped me a lot. It changed my line of thinking to just remain positive and believe things will come your way when the time is right. I am studying today through all the love, support and guidance I received from BPS. “I am what I am today through the individual coaching sessions and [I] would encourage other young people to make use of the BPS programme,” says Mikayla. The current economic landscape poses significant challenges, especially for women. However, the PYEI partnership approach — and examples such as the DBE programme, the BPS initiative and targeted sector initiatives within the IRM sector — suggests that through strategically coordinated investments, catalytic initiatives and targeted support, we can create a more gender-inclusive environment across all sectors. This creates immense value for organisations, communities and the wider economy and, more importantly, unlocks earning pathways that transform young women’s lives. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2023-08-31-sas-young-women-are-more-educated-more-tenacious-and-more-unemployed/