Page 472 - Provincial Treasury Estimates.pdf

Department: Rural Development and Agrarian Reform

The department will continue to train officials in technical, business skills and reporting according to the
milestones embedded in each commodity group that has signed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with
the department. This step will ensure that a paradigm is taken to increase the capacity of farmers as well
as officials in various aspects of the agriculture sector industry.

The department will continue in prioritising the filling of critical posts that will add value in the
implementation of the strategy and continue maintaining the acceptable vacancy rate of 5 per cent.

9.2 Training

Table 36: Information on training

Main Adjusted
Outcome Revised estimate Medium-term estimates % change
appropriation appropriation from 2022/23
R thousand 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26

Number of staff 2 611 2 471 2 464 2 836 2 836 2 471 2 836 2 836 2 836 14.8
Number of personnel trained 1 218 – – 2 111 2 111 2 111 2 111 2 111 2 111 0.0
of which

Male 302 – – 739 739 739 739 739 739 0.0

Female 916 – – 1 372 1 372 1 372 1 372 1 372 1 372 0.0

Number of training opportunities 1 360 20 184 1 063 1 063 986 1 063 1 063 1 063 7.8
of which
Tertiary 142 – 48 89 89 27 89 89 89 229.6

Workshops 235 10 – 106 106 519 106 106 106 (79.6)

Seminars 10 – – 53 53 – 53 53 53
Other 973 10 136 815 815 440 815 815 815 85.2

Number of bursaries offered 142 147 63 85 85 27 85 85 85 214.8

Number of interns appointed 253 186 194 140 140 124 140 140 140 12.9
Number of learnerships appointed – 50 – 50 50 – 50 50 50

Number of days spent on training 575 75 55 607 607 55 607 607 607 1003.6
Payments on training by programme
Total payments on training 21 040 3 611 10 790 22 832 20 820 20 258 23 597 25 460 26 632 16.5
Table 36 show the departments’ information on training from 2019/20 to 2025/26. The training budget
decreased from R21.040 million in 2019/20 to a revised estimate of R20.258 million in 2022/23 due to
effects of the COVID -19 pandemic that slowed the training and development of officials. In 2023/24 the
budget increases by 16.5 per cent to R23.597 million to cater for training and development of employees.
In implementing human resource development plan, employees are encouraged to utilise the free online
courses provided by the National School of Government (NSG), in the quarter under review five hundred
and ten (540) employees received training, ranging from the formal online courses to workshops and
information sharing sessions. Also, a total of 540 employees that received training in mid-term, 91 officials
underwent face-to-face Compulsory Induction Programme (CIP) for salary level 1-12. The CIP assists in
confirmation of probation for newly appointed employees in the Public Service.

The department continues to provide financial assistance to previously designated youth in a form of
bursaries in order to address scarce skills in the sector. In the mid-term, 13 students benefited from the
department’s bursary scheme and of the thirteen, 8 are males and 5 females. The thirteen continuing
students are all pursuing Bachelor of Veterinary Science in the University of Pretoria. Two student are
currently in their final year (6th year), 9 students are pursuing their 5th year and two students are currently
doing 4th and 3rd years respectively.

The department enhances knowledge and skills of employees through provision of financial assistance to
13 employees for them to pursue their studies through Institutions of Higher Learning. This programme
assists in improving technical and soft skills of the workforce. All the thirteen employees are females.

In the financial year 2023/24 the department will continue providing financial assistance to 13 previously
designated youth in a form of bursaries in order to address scarce skills in the sector. The thirteen students

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