Government promises a million jobs in five years

Land Affairs Minister Thoko Didiza says government, business leaders and academics are working to ensure that a million jobs are created for the poor in rural and peri-urban areas in the next three to five years. Government hopes hawkers, owners of spaza shops and subsistence farmers will soon become thriving small entrepreneurs. This will be done through a national programme that will include the formation of self-help groups with access to micro-financing and business support. Recent studies show that the gap between South Africa's rich and the poor is widening. Government hopes that the Jobs for Growth initiative will boost entrepreneurship and job creation among the poor.