The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour, Mr Boyce Maneli, has welcomed the State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday evening, 12 February 2026, describing it as a clear and decisive commitment to rebuilding the country’s economic foundations while placing jobs at the centre of government’s agenda.
Mr Maneli said the President’s assertion that government is acting decisively to “create a stronger economy and fix the foundations that were broken” resonates strongly with the committee’s oversight work.
“It is a matter of national concern that too many South Africans remain unemployed, and too many young people struggle to find their first job,” the President said, locating the fight against unemployment at the heart of economic reconstruction. According to Mr Maneli, the committee fully supports the expansion and better coordination of public and social employment programmes to ensure they create meaningful pathways into sustainable work.
President Ramaphosa further emphasised that government is rebuilding the economy by creating work and livelihood opportunities on a large scale through public and social employment initiatives. He singled out Standerton in Mpumalanga as an example of the Presidential Employment Stimulus, where dumping sites are turned into parks and vacant yards into community gardens, thereby creating work that restores dignity and strengthens communities.
Mr Maneli highlighted the importance of youth-focused interventions such as the SA Youth platform and the Youth Employment Service (YES), which has placed more than 200,000 young people in year-long work experience opportunities. “The introduction of regulatory changes to make it easier for businesses to participate in the Youth Employment Service is a progressive step,” he said.
Furthermore, Mr Maneli implored government to work hard to remove unnecessary barriers for companies that want to invest in the youth. He welcomed the planned expansion and improved coordination of the Community Works Programme, the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), and the Presidential Employment Stimulus. In his view, employment under these programmes is not just about statistics, but serves as bridges into the formal economy, especially for young people and women who remain disproportionately affected by unemployment.
Mr Maneli aligned the committee with the President’s warning that employers who hire foreign nationals without the required visas will face the full might of the law. He welcomed the announcement that 10,000 additional labour inspectors will be hired this year to strengthen enforcement. “This commitment aligns directly with the committee’s recent oversight visit programmes conducted jointly with immigration officers from the Department of Home Affairs and the South African Police Service in KwaZulu-Natal last week and the Free State in October last year.”
In both oversight programmes, employers who contravened labour laws, together with their foreign national employees who did not have the requisite papers, were held accountable. As a result, it sent a clear message that the law applies to everyone. The President’s firm stance confirms that the committee has been on the right track by consistently ensuring that employers who undermine South African labour and immigration laws face consequences.
Justice Molafo
13 February 2026
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