North West Business 2017 edition

UIF SAVING JOBS
THROUGH SOCIALLY
RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENTS
The National Development Plan is a blueprint serving as
a guideline to government departments and state entities
on how they can play a role in government wide efforts
of creating decent work, reducing unemployment and
poverty. The Unemployment Insurance Fund is among
the leading state entities in the implementation of the
provisions of the NDP to address the slow economic
growth, unemployment and poverty in South Africa.
The UIF social investment mandate ensures that,
additional to earning good financial returns, investments
must be supportive of long term economic, social and
adhere to sustainable environmental outcomes. The
investments must also yield a good social return for the
country. These investments have sustained 6 860 jobs of
which 3 024 are permanent, 3 836 are temporary/seasonal
and 195 are new jobs created during the financial year
ending in March 2016.
UIF INVESTMENTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY
The UIF investments are contributing to the energy
requirements of South Africa and the investments in the
renewable energy sector provides a total capacity of 192
megawatt of electricity of which 117 megawatt is solar
energy and 27 megawatt is wind generated electricity.
The De Aar project is a shining example of the UIF energy
investments and this project produces 90 megawatt of
electricity and was completed in April 2016. The solar plant
in the area generates enough electricity to power 15 000
houses. Another mainstay project is the Phakwe Group ran
projects undertaken in the Northern and Eastern Cape.
INVESTMENT IN FOOD SECURITY
The UIF investments in this regard are undertaken under
the banner of the UIF Agri-Fund in partnership with
Futuregrowth and Day Breaker Poultry Project. The UIF
Agri-Fund has invested in 4 farms situated in Mable Hall
in Limpopo. One of the farms is a cash crop farm spanning
450 hectares. The farm in the last financial year produced
235 hectares of white maize, and cotton was planted in an
area covering 28 hectares.
A further three farms are located in the Saron area in the
Western Cape. In this project a total of 178 hectares has
been used to plant grapes, 37 hectares has been used to
pant citrus fruit. Furthermore, there is potential to plant an
additional 92 hectares of grapes. The Daybreaker Poultry
project operates in Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga
and the combined projects have facilities to grow 1.6
million broiler chickens.
INVESTMENTS IN HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
The UIF concluded two investments in this regard that
include a BEE hospital manager, Busamed to build a
private hospital in Modderfontein and Fund Manager
Razorite Heatlhcare that focus on the provision of
affordable heathcare facilities that include rehabilitation
and sub-acute centres.
The Modderfontein hospital is a 220 hospital bed with subacute
facilities. This hospital is under construction. While
the RH Fund Manager has concluded seven investments
that include:
• Busamed with four hospital facilities
• HealthMed with two facilities
INVESTMENTS IN EDUCATION
UIF has invested in three investments that play a role
to unlock access to education. The investments were
concluded with Eduloan – an organisation that provides
financial support to tertiary students and South Point and
Educor organisations that provide student accommodation.
By March 2016, Eduloan had disbursed about R446 986.64
benefiting 34 047 students, whiles South Point provided
about 10 000 student with accommodation.
UIF INVESTMENTS IN ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
The UIF has concluded two investments with the aim of
supporting small and medium enterprises. In this regard
the PIC on behalf of UIF has concluded investment deals
with Musa Capital and TOSACO.
The investments will support more than 250 SMMEs across
various sectors inclusive of agriculture and affordable
housing. Musa Capital for example has a supply chain of
over 250 SMME’s that have facilitated the creation of 2 500
jobs.
TOSACO investments is planning to advance capital to
young black entrepreneurs who aspire to own and manage
Total Filling stations around the country.
For more information:
Call: 0800 843 843 or
visit: www.labour.gov.za