UIF SAVING JOBS
THROUGH SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENTS
The National Development Plan is a blueprint serving as a guideline to government departments and state entities on how they can play a role in government wide efforts of creating decent work, reducing unemployment and poverty. The Unemployment Insurance Fund is among the leading state entities in the implementation of the provisions of the NDP to address the slow economic growth, unemployment and poverty in South Africa. The UIF social investment mandate ensures that, additional to earning good financial returns, investments must be supportive of long term economic, social and adhere to sustainable environmental outcomes. The investments must also yield a good social return for the country. These investments have sustained 6 860 jobs of which 3 024 are permanent, 3 836 are temporary/seasonal and 195 are new jobs created during the financial year ending in March 2016.
UIF INVESTMENTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY The UIF investments are contributing to the energy requirements of South Africa and the investments in the renewable energy sector provides a total capacity of 192 megawatt of electricity of which 117 megawatt is solar energy and 27 megawatt is wind generated electricity. The De Aar project is a shining example of the UIF energy investments and this project produces 90 megawatt of electricity and was completed in April 2016. The solar plant in the area generates enough electricity to power 15 000 houses. Another mainstay project is the Phakwe Group ran projects undertaken in the Northern and Eastern Cape.
INVESTMENT IN FOOD SECURITY The UIF investments in this regard are undertaken under the banner of the UIF Agri-Fund in partnership with Futuregrowth and Day Breaker Poultry Project. The UIF Agri-Fund has invested in 4 farms situated in Mable Hall in Limpopo. One of the farms is a cash crop farm spanning 450 hectares. The farm in the last financial year produced 235 hectares of white maize, and cotton was planted in an area covering 28 hectares. A further three farms are located in the Saron area in the Western Cape. In this project a total of 178 hectares has been used to plant grapes, 37 hectares has been used to pant citrus fruit. Furthermore, there is potential to plant an additional 92 hectares of grapes. The Daybreaker Poultry project operates in Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga and the combined projects have facilities to grow 1.6 million broiler chickens.
INVESTMENTS IN HEALTH CARE FACILITIES The UIF concluded two investments in this regard that include a BEE hospital manager, Busamed to build a private hospital in Modderfontein and Fund Manager Razorite Heatlhcare that focus on the provision of affordable heathcare facilities that include rehabilitation and sub-acute centres. The Modderfontein hospital is a 220 hospital bed with subacute facilities. This hospital is under construction. While the RH Fund Manager has concluded seven investments that include: • Busamed with four hospital facilities • HealthMed with two facilities
INVESTMENTS IN EDUCATION UIF has invested in three investments that play a role to unlock access to education. The investments were concluded with Eduloan – an organisation that provides financial support to tertiary students and South Point and Educor organisations that provide student accommodation. By March 2016, Eduloan had disbursed about R446 986.64 benefiting 34 047 students, whiles South Point provided about 10 000 student with accommodation.
UIF INVESTMENTS IN ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT The UIF has concluded two investments with the aim of supporting small and medium enterprises. In this regard the PIC on behalf of UIF has concluded investment deals with Musa Capital and TOSACO. The investments will support more than 250 SMMEs across various sectors inclusive of agriculture and affordable housing. Musa Capital for example has a supply chain of over 250 SMME’s that have facilitated the creation of 2 500 jobs. TOSACO investments is planning to advance capital to young black entrepreneurs who aspire to own and manage Total Filling stations around the country.
For more information: Call: 0800 843 843 or visit: www.labour.gov.za