The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, has highlighted the need for urgent reform of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in light of ongoing protests by hundreds of former EPWP employees in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.
The minister emphasised that the programme should provide a sustainable pathway to permanent employment while condemning any acts of violence or damage to public property during the protests.
He said the protests have disrupted key municipal services, such as waste removal, creating a health hazard.
“The EPWP programme was always designed to be a short-term programme to give recipients work experience and training in order for them to find permanent employment,” Macpherson said.
He said due to the stubbornly high unemployment rate in South Africa, many have become reliant on the programme, with some being employed as EPWP workers for many years.
“As mentioned during the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure budget speech last week, it is therefore imperative that the EPWP programme be re-imagined to become skills outcomes-based, which lead to South Africa climbing up the opportunity ladder, rather than being stuck in EPWP for years on end,” he said.
The minister expressed his commitment to collaborating with all stakeholders in the coming months to achieve better outcomes for EPWP recipients nationwide.
“It is possible to build a better, more prosperous South Africa, but only if all stakeholders work together towards a common vision.
“As a department, we are committed to working with local government to design better public programmes, cut red tape for infrastructure investment and turn the country into a construction site. Let’s build South Africa,” Macpherson said.
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