Durban — Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Dean Macpherson, has vowed to end abuse and nepotism in the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
In a bid to reform the programme, the minister has embarked on a listening tour where he visits provinces particularly municipalities that run the programmes.
In a bid to reform the programme, the minister has embarked on a listening tour where he visits provinces particularly municipalities that run the programmes.
In a statement issued by the ministry after a meeting with the programme’s workers in the uMngeni Local Municipality in Howick, the minister heard how politicians and officials abused the programme.
The visit to uMngeni formed part of Minister Macpherson's countrywide EPWP listening tour to improve and reform the programme. He said he would use the experiences shared during the EPWP listening tour to reform the programme to ensure it contributes to building South Africa.
"There are countless stories shared with us in uMngeni of people being excluded simply because they didn't know the right ward councillor or officials, or that jobs were 'sold' in exchange for money or loyalty.
“There are also stories of abuse where power dynamics were used to exploit women. These stories are simply unacceptable, and these practices need to come to an end.
“As Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, I have always maintained that the EPWP programme is an important tool to alleviate poverty in many communities while giving people essential working opportunities. However, the stories of abuse I have now heard both in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal are too serious to ignore. This is why we are embarking on this countrywide EPWP listening tour as we work to reform and improve the programme," said the minister.
During the session, the minister heard how the programme was open to abuse by politicians and officials, while recipients lacked the necessary training to find permanent employment. The ministry said the stories from EPWP recipients build on what the minister heard at the launch of the listening tour in the Eastern Cape last month.
The minister vowed to reform the programme to ensure it becomes a vehicle for skills transfer and a stepping stone towards permanent employment. In the weeks and months ahead, he will take his EPWP listening tour to all nine provinces as he listens to communities about the problems faced with the programme.
"The time has come for us to fix what is broken. We simply cannot continue with programmes over and over again when communities keep complaining about possible abuses. It is imperative that we are humble enough to listen to communities' concerns and work to implement reforms so the programme can help us build a better South Africa. Our communities and EPWP recipients deserve better," concluded the minister.
There have been complaints that politicians and officials were controlling the recruitment processes for political benefit or manipulating it for their relatives and girlfriends. There are even claims of ghost employees within the programme.
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