The Committee received a briefing from the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Nondwangu. Mr Nondwangu indicated that Sheltered Employment Factories (SEF) was established more than 65 years ago to provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities. These facilities were inherited by the Department of Labour and it has developed a turn-around strategy aimed at converting SEF into entities that have a clear and definable legal status, operate as efficient entities and serve to advance the Government's national agenda on active participation in the economy of the country by people with disabilities. The presenter further outlined the vision of the factories, i.e. that of establishing a national framework of factories and factory outlets that can contribute to the economic empowerment of people with disabilities and that support metropolitan, rural and local community organisations and enterprises. The mission is to provide employment and training opportunities to people who have been excluded from work as a result of their disability and to support their transition into mainstream employment. Currently, the factories employs 1050 people with disabilities and 212 technical support and administration support staff. There are 12 factories located in 7 provinces with Limpopo and Mpumalanga being the two provinces without factories. These SEF are located in all major cities of the country such as Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, Johannesburg, Kimberly, Pietermaritzburg, Potchefstroom and Pretoria.