Public Services & Government in Johannesburg

The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities is responsible for deepening the appreciation of South Africans for the wide array of cultures, religions and languages found in the country, and for contributing meaningfully and constructively to social transformation and nation-building for the attainment of a truly united South African nation. The Commission was established to fulfil the following objectives: promote and develop peace, friendship, humanity, tolerance and national unity amongst and within cultural, religious and linguistic communities on the basis of equity, non-discrimination and free association; foster mutual respect amongst cultural, religious and linguistic communities; promote the right of communities to develop their historically diminished heritage; promote respect for and further the protection of the rights of cultural, religious and linguistic communities; and recommend the establishment or recognition of community councils.

The vision of the ETDP SETA is to be a promoter and facilitator in the development and improvement of the skills profile of the sector's workforce in order to benefit employers, workers and employees in the sector in the following ways: skill levels of employees and workers are raised; a healthy balance between supply and demand in the labour market; diverse, flexible routes for initial and in-service education and training; a variety of career paths are available; quality of education and training provision is improved; levy grant scheme is efficiently administered; regular liaison with providers, other SETAs, the Department of Labour, the Department of Education, the National Skills Authority (NSA), and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and its structures; internal and external communication is effective in order to advance national human resource and skills development; dialogue and interaction between public and private entities in the sector with regard to skills transfer and training delivery is encouraged; employers, workers and employees in the sector benefit from quality training, higher productivity and harmonious mutual dependencies.

The mission of the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) is: comprehensive research and a sound understanding of the skills demand and supply forces in its sector; coordinating, facilitating and providing quality assurance for sector relevant skills development programmes for its stakeholders, aligned with stated national skills development priorities; and establishing a sector skills pipeline with a positive impact on government's economic growth policies, employment creation and the eradication of poverty. EWSETA's responsibility is to manage skills development through strategic sector skills planning within the framework of the National Skills Development Strategy III. This includes developing a sector skills plan and implementing the sector skills plan by: establishing learning programmes; approving Workplace Skills Plans and the Annual Training Report; allocating grants to employers, education and training, providers, and workers; monitoring education and training in the sector; registering learning programme agreements; and promoting learnerships and other training programmes. The role of EWSETA also includes facilitating the creation of learnerships with employers in the sector via the following: finding workplaces where learners can do practical work; supporting people who create learning material; helping to wrap up learnership agreements; and registering learnership agreements.

The FP&M SETA was established by the Minister of Higher Education on 1 ApriI, 20II, following the government's strategic decision to cluster sectors and strengthen value-chain linkages between related industries. The SETA encompasses a diverse range of subsectors, including clothing, footwear, forestry, furniture, general goods, leather, packaging, print media, printing, publishing, pulp and paper, textiles and wood products. These subsectors, while distinct, are intricately interconnected, collectively adding immense value to consumers' lives. The FP&M sector is embracing the advancements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and looking ahead to the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR), and so, the sector is evolving rapidly. Innovations in automation, artificial intelligence, and digitalisation are driving efficiency and sustainability, while human-centric approaches are enhancing the quality and customisation of its products. In fact, it is almost impossible to go through a day without using one or more products manufactured within the FP&M sector.

The functional sectors represented by the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA) in South Africa include the health, social development and veterinary sectors. Its mission is to create an integrated approach to the development and provision of appropriately skilled health and social development workers, to render quality services comparable to world-class standards. HWSETA has a broad mandate, but its key objectives are: to develop and implement the Sector Skills Plan; skills development planning, programmes and initiatives; monitoring of education and training; identification of workplaces for practical work experience; to support and facilitate the development of the National Skills Development Strategy; disbursement of levies collected; to forge links with all stakeholders and relevant bodies; to account for the effective and efficient use of public monies in line with the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act; and the promotion of the employment of disabled persons.

The Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA) is one of 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) established to promote skills development in terms of the Skills Development Act of 1998 (as amended). The 21 SETAs broadly reflect different sectors of the South African economy. MerSETA encompasses manufacturing, engineering and related services. The various industry sectors are covered by five chambers within the merSETA: metal and engineering; auto-manufacturing; motor retail and component manufacturing; tyre manufacturing; and plastics industries. Together, the five subsectors comprise approximately 44 000 companies, with a workforce of approximately 600 000. The total levy income is approximately R600 million. The merSETA, like all other SETAs, plays a central role in making sure that the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) is fulfilled. MerSETA does not collect levies but instead receives collected levies from the Department of Higher Education and Training. Seventy percent of the levies is disbursed as grants and 10% is kept for administration. MerSETA does not train, instead it facilitates the process of training by paying grants, registering moderators and assessors, identifying scarce skills, accrediting providers, monitoring the quality of training, and implementing projects to close the skills gap.

The mission of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), as the independent national human rights institution, is to support constitutional democracy through promoting, protecting and monitoring the attainment of everyone's human rights in South Africa without fear, favour or prejudice. The mandate of the Commission is to: promote respect for human rights and a culture of human rights; promote the protection, development and attainment of human rights; monitor and assess the observance of human rights; investigate and report on the observance of human rights; take steps and secure appropriate redress where human rights have been violated; carry out research; educate; require relevant organs of state to provide the Commission with information on the measures that they have taken towards the realisation of the rights in the Bill of Rights concerning housing, health care, food, water, social security, education and the environment; and carry out the additional powers and functions prescribed by national legislation.

The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) is a statutory body established in terms of Section 112 of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 [as amended] (LRA) and draws its legislative mandate principally from Section 23 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) and the LRA. The CCMA, as a national public entity in terms of Schedule 3A of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), is an independent body that neither belongs nor is affiliated with any political party, trade union or business. The CCMA derives its mandate from the purpose of the LRA, which is to advance economic development, social justice, labour peace and the democratisation of the workplace.

The mission of the Gauteng Department of Community Safety is to improve public safety in the province, specifically through monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of policing agencies; effective implementation and promotion of appropriate social crime prevention initiatives; providing excellent traffic management services; coordination of efforts and programmes in the criminal justice system; educating and empowering citizens on issues of public safety and coordinating community safety initiatives; improving and strengthening relations between the police and communities; and determining community policing needs and priorities in keeping with the provisions of the Constitution. The Department's strategic goals are to ensure excellent practices in order to deliver effectively on its mandate; improve service delivery through effective and efficient planning, monitoring and evaluation of organisational performance; provide good quality research and information; ensure continuous improvement in the quality of policing; strengthen community policing structures to improve relationships between communities and police; build and strengthen social movements against crime; mainstream and coordinate social crime prevention in all spheres of government; prevent violence against vulnerable groups; inform people about the work of the Department; and create a safe and secure road environment.

The vision of of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) is to promote growth, equity and participation through social dialogue. NEDLAC's mission is to give effect to the Nedlac Act by ensuring effective public participation in the labour market and socio-economic policy and legislation, and to facilitate consensus and cooperation between government, labour, business and the community in dealing with South Africa's socio-economic challenges. The Nedlac Act requires the institution to: strive to promote the goals of economic growth, participation in economic decision-making and social equity; seek to reach consensus and conclude agreements on matters pertaining to social and economic policy; consider all proposed labour legislation relating to labour market policy before it is introduced in Parliament; encourage and promote the formulation of coordinated policy on social and economic matters; consider all significant changes to social and economic policy before it is implemented or introduced in Parliament; and consider socio-economic disputes in terms of Section 77 of the Labour Relations Act.

The vision of the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) is to become the leading provider of innovative transformation solutions for an economically inclusive South Africa. The NEF is a driver and thought leader in promoting and facilitating black economic participation by providing financial and non-financial support to black-empowered businesses, and by promoting a culture of savings and investment among black people. In pursuit of its mandate, the NEF provides financial and non-financial support. Financial support is comprised of the provision of innovative financing products to black-empowered businesses via five funds: the uMnotho, iMbewu, Rural and Community Development, Strategic Projects, and Women Empowerment Funds. Non-Financial support provided includes the following services: pre-investment support; post-investment support; turnaround, workouts and restructures; and socio-economic development and asset management.

The main strategic objectives of the Gauteng Liquor Board (GLB) are: effective governance and regulation of the liquor industry, ensuring ethical business practice andempowered stakeholders; promotion and maintenance of an effective and efficient regulatory system for the liquor industry; and maximisation of the benefits derived from the liquor industry and minimisation of the potential negative impact thereof.

The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) is a national public entity established by the National Health Laboratory Service Act 37 of 2000, to provide quality, affordable and sustainable health laboratory services, training and research. It is governed by a Board and is responsible for ensuring that diagnostic pathology services are provided to more than 80% of the South African population through its countrywide network of quality-assured diagnostic laboratories. The NHLS was formed in 2001 by the merger of the former South African Institute for Medical Research (SAIMR), the National Institute for Virology (NIV), and the National Centre for Occupational Health. It is governed by the National Health Laboratory Service Act, the NHLS Rules, and the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) 1 of 1999 (as amended). The NHLS assists with communicable diseases, occupational health, and cancer surveillance in addition to providing diagnostic pathology services. It has specialised institutes such as the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), which includes the National Cancer Registry (NCR), National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH), Forensic Chemistry Laboratories (FCL) and South African Vaccine Producers Association (SAVP). The NHLS employs over 8 000 people and has laboratories in all nine provinces of South Africa. It is critical to the South African healthcare system, because it is the sole provider of diagnostic pathology services to a large portion of the population.