State says it will create 6m jobs in five years

Public Works Deputy Minister Jeremy Cronin says that Phase 3 of the EPWP will see a further 6m jobs being created in five years. Image: GCIS

EPWP Phase 3, which started creating jobs in April, will be officially launched in October this year, and priority is given to the vulnerable, poor and unemployed people.

The department said of the six million job opportunities to be created, a significant number will go to women, youth and people with disabilities.

Public Works envisaged that the programme will create 3.5m jobs in the first three years, starting in the 2014/15 financial year, and 2.5m between 2017 and 2019.

The department's Deputy Minister Jeremy Cronin outlined the implementation of the EPWP Phase 3 before the Public Works Portfolio Committee in Parliament.

SA a "pioneer in Public Employment Programmes"

Cronin said the job opportunities will be created through Infrastructure, environment and culture, social, and non-state sectors.

"South Africa has been a pioneer in Public Employment Programmes (PEPs) on a large scale such as in the environmental services, through sub-programmes like Working for Water, Working on Fire, and Working for Wetlands, with major positive impact on communities , people and parks and saving billion of rands over the years," said Cronin.

The focus of the EPWP will not be on those with skills but rather on women, youth and people with disabilities so some workers may face continued hardship. Image: Honourable Saka

He said the programme will be governed by four principles comprising adherence to minimum employment conditions under the ministerial determination, clearly defined worker selection criteria, minimum labour intensity to appropriate sector, and contributions to the public good in communities.

"Infrastructure is the biggest employment creator, with more than 2m jobs out of the total 6m targeted by 2018/19," he said.

EPWP Phase 3 is expected to increase the scope of infrastructure maintenance and quality implementation and developmental impact, especially in rural communities.

Programme targets poor and unemployed

The department said the programme will target the poor and unemployed citizens through a combination of geographical and community-based targeting or wage rates.

Cronin said strong collaboration with the National Skills Fund and Skills Education and Training Agencies will continue to source funding for the training of participants while other sectors will also be encouraged to dedicate a portion of their implementation budgets for training of the workers.

Cronin said the graduation of EPWP participants into formal employment would be promoted through various initiatives, including cooperatives and small enterprise development.

He added that the EPWP provided a policy instrument for government to create work opportunities and alleviate unemployment.

"Despite numerous efforts undertaken by government, unemployment in South Africa has stubbornly remained high. The on-going global economic downturn has made this even worse and has increased the number of unemployed in South Africa even further," he said.

The EPWP was launched 10 years ago as one of government's major Public Employment Programmes under the auspices of Anti-Poverty Strategy and so far has created 5.5m job opportunities, covering all spheres of government and State-Owned Enterprises.