Dear Honourable Minister Dlodlo

I trust this email will find you in good spirit.

Firstly, I would like to congratulate you and your team on the important milestone of launching the e-Job platform; we really appreciate your effort and responsiveness.

The reason I am sending this communique to yourself is to propose a few input in the current Internship programme/policy that is rolled out by state institutions. Please pardon my ignorance if the policy does not sit within your department or if my inputs have been long considered.

In this regard, I propose the following, for your consideration;

1. Stipend or salary- most institutions offer a stipend of R4000/R5000 which is not taxed. I propose that this amount to be reviewed, as it very low for one to survive on. In fact, when I did my internship in 2009, I earned R4000; I feel it is an injustice that 10 years down the line, young people are still subjected to the same amount. Furthermore, this stipends also limit those in other provinces to take up opportunities in Gauteng, where Government Departments are hosted.
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3. Training and Development- In my interaction with interns, many of them complain with the lack of structure in the programme. This is evident in other instances where an intern will be hired and have no one to provide mentorship, and in some instances they are sent to errands, which have not relationship with the content of the work. As such, I propose that there should be a directive that all institutions should enrol interns in the accredited programmes in FINANCE (PFMA/MFMA), COMPUTER SYSTEMS, PROJECT MANAGEMENT, RESEARCH or M&E and STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT.

4. Placements- most institution advertise and place interns in positions within their institution. My proposal is that, this be reviewed, and this mandate should be centralised in DPSA; and your Department will allocate interns where there is vacancy. This will precisely ensure that we have a well-structured internship programme that serve to empower young people, while it helps government to achieve its strategic objects.

I trust my proposal will receive your attention, and you may engage me further on the issue. My contact is 060 532 4750 for the purpose of further engagement.

Keep up the good work and good luck for the 2019/20 financial year.

Regards,
Mthokozisi Alex Madlala