Newly appointed Supported Employment Enterprises (SEE) CEO has appealed to government departments to intentionally support the entity so that it can thrive and fufill its mandate.
The Department of Employment and Labour recently announced the appointment of Sibusiso Phakathi as its new head. SEE is an entity that promotes supported employment for persons with long-term physical, mental or sensory impairment disabilities.
Phakathi has been appointed on a five-year – renewable contract with effect from 01 September 2021.
“I am privileged to join SEE at this time. There is more investment that has just been made in factory infrastructure. I have an abiding faith in the management team I found here,” Phakathi said.
Phakathi said his immediate focus was to make that all business directorates such as Business Development, the Human Resources and Finance are strategically aligned towards a common objective.
“Once we drive all those strategic imperatives, our plea is to have government departments and agencies spend at least 10 percent of their revenue procuring from us. Yes, we want to deal with in-house problems. The investment made in new machinery, delivery trucks has laid a solid foundation to drive efficiencies,” he said.
SEE currently has a budget of R153 million, a grant from National Treasury. Its budget has in recent years been reducing due to austerity measures. The factories employ 1050 people and a further 159 that have been seconded by the Department of Employment and Labour to assist in administrative work.
Phakathi said; “SEE’s Vision 2025 seeks to create at least 400 employment opportunities for people with disabilities”.
Phakathi was born in the township of Embali in Pietermaritzburg. He did his BCom Honours measuring in Economics and strategic Management from the University of Western Cape. He also has an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from UWC and a Masters in International Trade Law.
He replaces Department of Employment and Labour’s Public Employment Services (PES) branch Deputy Director-General, Sam Morotoba who has been acting in the position since the departure of former CEO Silumko Nondwangu more than three years ago.
The SEE formerly known as the Supported Employment Factories (SEF) was established in 1949 as a government post-Second World War intervention to alleviate the plight of returned soldiers and the disabled people in general to play an active role in the labour market. SEF operates as a non-profit organisation. At their establishment the factories were created to cater for white compatriots until in recent years when they were opened to all races.
The SEE has 13 factories in South Africa operating in eight provinces (except Mpumalanga). The factories are located in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Pietermaritzburg, Port Elizabeth, Potchefstroom, Pretoria and Polokwane.
In 1994, the Department assumed responsibility of the factories and had to continue to provide a subsidy to the factories through the National Treasury for the payment of salaries and the procurement of raw materials to manufacture finished goods.
The factories manufacture furniture, textiles, hospital linen, metal work; leather work, book binding; and screen printing among a catalogue of goods. Recently, they added the manufacturing of protective personal equipment (PPEs). Most of their clients include government departments such as: Western Cape Department of Health and Department of Basic Education.
The factories previously enjoyed a Preferential Procurement Status which they had since lost, which meant that government departments, schools and hospitals will provide preferential procurement for the factories. At their height the factories employed 3000 employees.
Source: Government of South Africa