Riyaz Patel
The Presidential Working Committee on the Jobs Summit says there’s been “substantial progress” in specific interventions that will enable greater job creation.
The Committee pointed to progress in reforming and modernising South Africa’s visa regime, the issuing of water use licences, the release of broadband spectrum, saving jobs in distressed firms and improving the certainty of electricity supply.
The Presidential Working Committee comprises senior leadership of the different NEDLAC constituencies.
Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi reported that changes to South Africa’s visa regime to make the country more accessible for visitors, investors and people with skills that are critical to building the economy, were currently underway.
The Department of Home Affairs has said it has lowered the turnaround times for critical work skills visas, which are now issued within four weeks in 88,5 percent of applications.
Business and general work visas are issued within eight weeks in 98 per cent of applications.
The Department will from November embark on a pilot scheme for the issuing of e-visas, which applicants will be able to access online, eliminating the need for applicants to visit South African missions abroad.
Motsoaledi added that visa requirements have also been “simplified” for countries such as China and India, which are key markets for tourism to South Africa.
Government recently waived visas for travellers from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, New Zealand, Cuba, Ghana and Sao Tome and Principe.
The meeting received a report from ICASA on the process for the release of high-demand broadband spectrum, which is expected to be concluded in the first quarter of the 2021 financial year.
Social partners urged ICASA to make every effort o fast-track the process of auctioning and allocating spectrum.
The Working Committee noted that deadlines for the issuing of water use licences had been significantly shortened.
Government is working on ensuring that these licences are issued within 60 days for agriculture; 80 to 95 days for infrastructure projects from state-owned enterprises and municipalities; and 120 days for mining licences.
Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan told the meeting that significant progress has been made in addressing operational challenges at Eskom, with the result that no load shedding has taken place in the country in the last 200 days.
The meeting further heard that the Special Paper on Eskom and the roadmap to ensure its sustainability was close to finalisation and would be announced shortly.
