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Johannesburg - Transport and logistics parastatal Transnet
is returning to its past as it prepares for the future.
Like it was in its former incarnation, it is set to lead the
skills explosion by spending an average of just over R1bn a year on skills
development, including those that are not core to its operations.
At a time when the economy is shedding jobs and the private
sector is sitting on a R1.2 trillion cash pile - causing speculation in some
quarters that there is an investment strike on the go - Transnet this week
announced its annual results and an ambitious R300bn capital project over seven
years that promises to boost employment in the country.
The R1.2 trillion sitting idle with private sector firms is
not invested in the economy for a variety of reasons, even though 65% of this
cash is held in one-day demand accounts, earning the lowest rates on interest
in 30 years.
Transnet expects that 558 000 new jobs will be created as a
direct or indirect result of the cash injected through various projects aimed
at expanding its rail, port and pipeline infrastructure, and shifting freight
volumes from road to rail.
The parastatal also announced that it had bought 143
locomotives from US-based General Motors. Of these, 10 come fully assembled and
133 would be assembled in South Africa, thus creating more local jobs and
increasing local expertise.
During the apartheid years, Transnet’s predecessor, the
South African Railways, was a leading source of artisan training and
apprenticeships in the country.
This was, however, limited largely to white workers.
Transnet’s group human resources head, Nonkululeko Sishi,
told City Press that the state-owned enterprise would this year employ an
additional 4 533 people to push staff numbers to just over 63 700.
The organisation intends to have just under 74 000 employees
on its payroll by the end of the 2018/19 financial year.
It also intends having 2 000 apprentices at any given time
over the next seven years.
The training budget is expected to cover training for 120
engineers (of various disciplines) this year and increase trainee numbers by
10% a year, compounded, for the next seven years.
Last year the company trained 500 artisans.
This year, and every year for the next seven, this number
will increase by 10%.
Though Sishi would not say whether the enterprise would stop
outsourcing security services, she added that 800 protection officers would be
trained to protect their trains, ports and other assets.
Transnet will not retain everyone who goes through the
various programmes.
“There will be an oversupply and we will release some of
them to the economy to help address the mismatch (of skills and jobs
available).
“The percentages of those we will retain will depend on the
business demands and also on people retiring or leaving. Those who are in
excess will be able to find jobs or work for themselves.
“There might be opportunities at some stage of working with
other state-owned enterprises, but we do not have any at the moment. What we
have is partnership with lots of universities across the country,” said Sishi.
Transnet’s group revenue for the year increased by 20.9% to R45.9bn
from R38bn in the previous period, mainly because of a growth in volumes in the
export of coal and iron ore, in general freight, in container volumes, as well
as an 18% improvement in productivity.
Kelly Group’s Bev Jack said she was “delighted that the
project, through the introduction and roll-out of apprenticeships, will help to
address the need of SA’s youth, and the growing volume of young people with
limited future plans.
“Through this project, new avenues to access the world of
work have been opened.
“Transnet, as the largest and most crucial part of the
freight logistics chain that delivers goods to each and every South African,
plays a vital role in our economy.
“With this investment in human capital, assets and technology, Transnet is certain to make a positive impact on the future of South Africa and our people,” Jack said.
