National Lotteries Commission-funded programmes support job creation amid South Africa’s 32.7% unemployment rate
More than 4.7 million young South Africans remain unemployed, but National Lotteries Commission-backed initiatives are helping create jobs, support small businesses and build sustainable livelihoods across the country.
South Africa.- South Africa’s National Lotteries Commission (NLC) says its funded programmes are helping create employment opportunities and support entrepreneurship as the country grapples with a 32.7 per cent unemployment rate and more than 4.7 million unemployed young people.
During the 2024/25 funding cycle, the commission allocated R804.5m (US$44.8m) to community and charitable initiatives across South Africa, with an increasing focus on measuring long-term outcomes such as job creation, sustainable livelihoods and economic empowerment.
Commissioner Jodi Scholtz said the organisation is increasingly focused on measuring the long-term outcomes generated by funded projects. “Importantly, we are shifting away from simply measuring how funding is spent, towards evaluating the long-term results and social change taking place within communities as a result. The real impact of funding is ultimately reflected in the livelihoods created, the dignity restored, and the opportunities unlocked within communities,” said Scholtz in a press release.
LifeLine Durban is among the organisations benefiting from NLC funding to support survivors of gender-based violence through skills development and economic empowerment.
Pravisha Dhanapalan, Director at LifeLine Durban, said: “We were able to equip 160 GBV survivors with vocational skills and starter kits so that they’ve been able to start their own small businesses in areas like detergent and perfume making, baking, cashier training and forklift operation, helping as many as 75 per cent of them to start their own small businesses and generate sustainable income.”
The organisation highlighted the case of a beneficiary who went on to establish a small business and secure a detergent supply distributorship, creating jobs for three other women from the LifeLine entrepreneurship programme.
Creating jobs through training
The NLC also highlighted the impact of its support for Lifesaving KwaZulu-Natal, which has used funding to improve water safety infrastructure while helping train new lifeguards.
Chairman of Lifesaving KwaZulu-Natal, Troye Brown, said, “Lifesaving KwaZulu-Natal qualifies around 120 lifeguards annually, with many going on to secure seasonal, part-time or full-time employment opportunities. NLC’s assistance has allowed us to develop new lifeguards as well as upskill qualified lifeguards with new skills and qualifications.”
In Mpumalanga, NLC funding has also contributed to employment creation through the Topsy Foundation, which works with vulnerable communities in the Gert Sibande District.
Project Manager Meikie Mashinini said the funding had enabled the employment of 11 women, including eight community field workers serving early childhood development (ECD) centres and three office-based staff members.
Mashinini said: “In a community facing high unemployment, this funding is sustaining livelihoods and recognises the commitment of these women who contributed meaningfully to our organisation even when we couldn’t provide full-time employment.”
