Women in Leadership - Nomakhosazana Meth

Championing Youth Employment Through Labour Activation Programme

By Jessie Taylor

In a country grappling with staggeringly high youth unemployment, Minister Nomakhosazana Meth has emerged as a determined and strategic voice for inclusive economic growth. Her leadership in implementing the Department of Employment and Labour’s Labour Activation Programme (LAP) reflects a deep understanding of South Africa’s structural unemployment crisis and an unwavering commitment to tackling it through sustainable, skills-driven solutions.

A Grassroots Leader With Deep Roots In Public Service

Minister Meth was born in the rural village of Hlankomo in Ntabankulu, Eastern Cape. Her early exposure to the challenges faced by underdeveloped communities significantly shaped her political career. Minister Meth’s public service journey began in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, where she made a name for herself as an effective advocate for health and social development.

She previously served as the Eastern Cape MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform and later as MEC for Health, where she played a pivotal role in managing the province’s COVID-19 response. Known for her hands-on leadership style and policy follow-through, she was appointed as South Africa’s Minister of Employment and Labour in July 2024.

She is a firm champion of the Labour Activation Programme (LAP), managed by the Unemployment Insurance Fund under the Department of Employment and Labour.

LAP is a critical component of government efforts to reduce unemployment and poverty. It provides funding and partnerships that allow for largescale training, skills development, and placement interventionsspecifically targeting unemployed South Africans.

The core objectives of LAP include:

• Up-skilling and re-skilling the unemployed to meet labour market demands.

• Creating pathways to employment, especially for the youth and other marginalised groups.

• Stimulating entrepreneurship and small business development as alternative routes to job creation.

• Strengthening publicprivate partnerships in employment services, training institutions, and non-profit organisations.

By funding training initiatives across various sectors - from agriculture and construction to digital skills - LAP aims to create jobs and prepare South Africans for the evolving nature of work in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Accelerating The LAP

Under Minister Meth’s stewardship, the Department of Employment and Labour has refocused LAP to better align with the country’s National Development Plan and the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.

In March 2025, Minister Meth officially launched a major LAP initiative in Mthatha, Eastern Cape - one of the regions most affected by youth unemployment.

During the launch, the Minister emphasised that “programmes like LAP must not just be numbers on a spreadsheet. They must be engines of change for our communities.”

This rollout aims to provide accredited training to more than 2,000 young people in technical and vocational areas.

What sets Minister Meth’s approach apart is her insistence on outcome-based delivery. LAP projects under her leadership must report on not only training numbers but also actual job placements and business start-ups resulting from the interventions. Minister Meth also advocates for communitybased project design, ensuring the voices of youth, women, and people with disabilities are heard in programme planning and implementation.

In addition to technical skills training, Minister Meth has called for the integration of soft skills and entrepreneurial modules into LAP curricula. This is a strategic move, recognising that many young people lack workplace readiness even after formal training. LAP can support more well-rounded, employable graduates by including training in communication, critical thinking, and financial literacy.

The Department has also introduced monitoring and evaluation reforms to improve the transparency and efficiency of LAP. This includes a digital portal to track beneficiaries’ progress from enrolment to employment and mechanisms to clamp down on fraudulent training providers who may exploit public funds.

Minister Meth’s approach to public service is rooted in accountability, equity, and delivery. She has set out to ensure that LAP is not a short-term fix, but part of a broader labour market transformation. She has also urged provinces to align their skills development plans with the LAP, ensuring that provincial departments and municipalities become active partners in addressing local economic development.

Minister Meth has emerged as a transformative leader in South Africa’s battle against unemployment. Through her commitment to the Labour Activation Programme, she is reshaping how the government invests in people, prioritises outcomes, and fosters hope.

As the country continues to navigate economic headwinds and shifting labour demands, the impact of Minister Meth’s leadership will be felt not only in policy circles but on the ground— where it matters most.

Source: SA Government | Mthatha Express | Department of Labour