The eThekwini Metro Municipality is set to spend R741-million over the next three years training as many as 10 000 artisans.

This was a revealed by municipal manager S’bu Sithole at a meeting of the city’s executive council on Tuesday evening.

The 10 000 people that the municipality expects to fund will be trained at various institutions in and around the city in fields such a bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing, painting, as well as in some of the more advanced courses, such as welding, electronics, fitting and turning, and mechanics.

All parties approved the proposal with the Democratic Alliance leader Zwakele Mncwango urging Sithole to encourage businesses to participate and contribute to the programme.

Sithole said the programme would not only benefit the municipality but the country as a whole.

To jeers from the African National Congress members of the metro’s executive committee, Mncwango commented: “One would have thought the city was reading the DA manifesto.”

Only those who are unemployed and younger than 36 years old will be able to apply for the scheme which will see 60% of the funding go to women.