By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) has been hailed a success by President Cyril Ramaphosa who said the government initiative has created more than 14 million work opportunities since its inception 20 years ago.
Ramaphosa was on Wednesday speaking at the launch Phase V of the programme at the Buffalo City stadium in the Eastern Cape.
Government says the EPWP is a nationwide programme that creates job opportunities and provides income support to poor and unemployed people “through the delivery of public and community assets and services, thereby contributing towards development”.
It’s one of the country’s flagship Public Employment Programmes and has been implemented for the past 20 years since April 2004.
Ramaphosa’s office said since its inception the initiative “has created more than 14 million work opportunities across all the EPWP sectors through more than 300 public bodies and Non-Profit Organisations (NPO) implementing the EPWP”.
The work opportunities were created in sectors such as road constructions, road maintenance, construction of schools and clinics, provision of Early Childhood Development Services, environmental greening and clean-up projects, fire projects and the removal of alien vegetation projects.
The President has since pledged on behalf of government to improve the EPWP and to deliver five million work opportunities in the next five years.
He painted the EPWP as a success story that has empowered communities to address local needs and build resilience.
“The EPWP is changing lives and transforming communities, and the evidence is there for all to see, ” Ramaphosa told the crowd.
Through the EPWP infrastructure projects, Ramaphosa said Welisizwe Rural Bridges are constructed and maintained to create better access to markets, schools and clinics.
Beneficiaries include those cleaning streets and beaches, and those involved in Early Childhood Development (ECD), community home-based care, school feeding and community crime prevention.
According to the President, some of the beneficiaries have gone on to be trained as emergency response personnel in the South African Police (SAPS) and even qualified as pilots.
While there are many achievements, Ramaphosa urged government to use the 20-year milestone as a springboard for even greater achievements in the years to come.
“We must build not only on lessons from the EPWP but also from the President Employment Stimulus, which has, over the last few years, demonstrated that public employment can go to significantly greater levels of scale.”
However, he acknowledged that the quality of work experience and service delivered to the communities needed to be improved.
According to the President, government also needs to mobilise the nation behind a revitalised portfolio of public employment programmes.
This, he said, will include urgent service delivery priorities such as road upgrading through pothole patching and block paving, and infrastructure maintenance.
The President is of the view that public employment can also assist in tackling social challenges, such as gender-based violence (GBV) and substance abuse.
The programme will also support tackling clean energy installation and catchment management to improve water quality and limit the risks of floods.
Ramaphosa said it could also help in the digitisation of public records and give young people a first step into this growing sector of the economy.
The President believes that the EPWP Phase 5 will rise to the challenge by increasing youth participation and strengthening skills development.
“As we enter this new phase, we must reiterate that there can be no space for corruption, nepotism or favouritism. Effective and fair recruitment practices must be applied.”
He called on social partners and the private sector to work with the State during Phase 5 to lend a hand in creating jobs and work opportunities for South Africa’s youth, women and people with disabilities.
“Working together through public and social employment programmes and by providing support for small enterprises and cooperatives, we can create more jobs at a much faster pace while improving the delivery of basic services.”
The President has vowed to continue to expand public employment through the EPWP, the Presidential Employment Stimulus, the National Youth Service, and others.