The department recently embarked on a drive to empower youth cooperatives with training, compliance support and market access through cooperative development.
Cooperatives have been identified by political and economic stakeholders as viable means of alleviating poverty and job creation in South Africa.
The formation of cooperatives is crucial to the local economic development. It has been noted even internationally that cooperatives contribute directly to the eradication of poverty, they stimulate the economy and enhance the social fabric of the community in which they operate.
“Cooperatives provide opportunities for young people and as the City of Johannesburg we want to see cooperatives not just being established but also sustained, we want to make sure that those cooperatives actually do get business in the City of Johannesburg and also in the private sector,” said MMC Khoza.
Success stories from existing City of Joburg Cooperatives were also shared during the launch.
Mr Mapiki Joseph Sambu from Bontle Ke Tlhago Cooperative shared how his recycling business has managed to grow and employ 15 people who earn on average R4 500 a month. They have also won major awards and recognition in their recycling business and continue to provide opportunities for their community members in Diepsloot.
The Youth Cooperatives Development Programme will be launched across the seven regions of the City of Johannesburg.
The Department has a goal of registering 500 cooperatives per region.
Cooperatives can be registered by obtaining registration forms from regional offices or accessing them online.
Registered cooperatives will undergo a six-phase registration, workshop and training process.
After that, procurement-ready cooperatives will be handed over to Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (CRUM).
