South Africa is to invest R73bn over the next three years in community, environmental and maintenance and infrastructure projects, South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced in the country’s budget.

Gordhan committed to:

• Investing R73bn over the next three years on an expanded public works programme, including community-based projects, environmental and social programmes and maintenance of roads and infrastructure
• R9bn for a jobs fund to co-finance innovative public- and private-sector employment projects
• an allocation of R14bn for further education and training colleges, while student financial assistance will be stepped up
• more than R20bn for sector education and training authorities, and R5bn to the National Skills Fund to train jobseekers
• tax incentives for manufacturing investment of R20bn, with a focus on creating jobs.

Gordhan says: “We cannot view the fact that 42% of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 are unemployed as merely a statistic. Young men and women in cities, informal settlements, towns and villages may not have jobs, but have skills in life. They possess the awareness and the ability to learn, they drive fashion and inspire with their music, yet they know their local traditions. And they have hope, and look to us to give meaning to that hope.”