Day: July 25, 2024

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Dean Macpherson, believes that urgent reform is needed for the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to provide a sustainable pathway to permanent employment.

This follows the ongoing protest action by former EPWP employees in Ethekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.

The Minister has condemned any violence or damage to public property during the protests, particularly as it has halted key municipal service delivery such as the removal of waste which creates a health hazard.

‘The EPWP program was always designed to be a short-term program to give recipients work experience and training in order for them to find permanent employment,’ Macpherson said, adding that due to the stubbornly high unemployment rate in South Africa, many have grown dependent on the program, having been employed as an EPWP worker for many years.

‘As mentioned during the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure budget speech last week, it is therefore imperative that the EPWP program be re-imagined to
become skills outcomes-based which leads to South Africans climbing up the opportunity ladder, rather than being stuck in EPWP for years on end,’ he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Macpherson looks forward to working with all stakeholders in the coming months to look at a better outcome for recipients nationwide.

The Expanded Public Works Programme is one of the government’s strategies to alleviate poverty through the creation of work opportunities using labour-intensive methods. The programme is implemented in four sectors namely: infrastructure, social, environment and culture, and non-state.

All spheres of government and state-owned entities are expected to implement the programme.

The EPWP participants (beneficiaries) work on different projects such as the Community Work Programme (CWP), Early Childhood Development Programmes, Home Community Based Care Programmes, Extra School Support Programmes, Working on Fire, Working for Water and roads maintenance projects.

Since its inception on 01 April 2004
to 31 March 2022, more than 13 million work opportunities have been created in the EPWP space across all spheres of government.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The eThekwini Municipality has welcomed KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli’s commitment to youth-orientated initiatives and developmental programmes.

Ntuli, who led the Executive Council in a two-day Youth in Business Summit recently held in Durban, announced that youth-oriented programmes will be a priority throughout the tenure of his administration.

Hosted under the theme ‘Young people taking charge in leading economic development’, the summit provided a platform for engagement between the government and the youth.

The summit encouraged youth development, entrepreneurship and involvement in the mainstream economy throughout the province.

Speaking at the summit, Ntuli said the summit is a catalyst for change and a platform for dialogue.

The Premier said the Executive Council and provincial government have identified youth unemployment, youth development, and financial backing for youth-owned enterprises as some of the key priorities for the seventh administration.

As part of government’s interventions
to fight the scourge of unemployment through the Premier’s Office, the provincial government has created a suite of funding schemes which include the Premier’s Youth Empowerment Fund which has been increased from R60 million to R100 million.

‘This programme seeks to afford the youth of this province with an opportunity to interact with strategic business leaders and to also share their views and ideas on how they would want this province of KwaZulu-Natal to aid their initiatives and programmes,’ Ntuli said.

eThekwini Municipality Deputy Mayor Zandile Myeni commended the Premier-led initiative.

‘When we give business access to young entrepreneurs, we will be ensuring that we transform the economy,’ Myeni said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has assented into law the Public Procurement Bill, which aims to create a single framework that regulates public procurement, including preferential procurement, by all organs of state, with the necessary efficiency, cost-effectiveness and integrity.

‘The President has assented to the Public Procurement Bill which complies with the stipulation in Section 217 of the Constitution that [the] contracting of goods and services by organs of state in all spheres of government must occur in accordance with a system which is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective; and that national legislation must prescribe a framework within which a procurement policy must be implemented,’ said the Presidency.

As enacted by the President, the Public Procurement Act addresses weaknesses in the procurement of goods and services by organs of state that have in the past enabled various degrees of corruption, including state capture.

The Act also responds to the acknowledgement that legi
slation regulating procurement by organs of state is fragmented and constrains justified advancement of persons or categories of persons who could provide goods or services.

The Act establishes a single framework that regulates public procurement, including preferential procurement, by all organs of state and promotes the use of technology for efficiency and effectiveness. The law seeks to enhance transparency and integrity, among others, to combat corruption, ensure efficient, effective and economic use of public resources and advance transformation and broadened economic participation.

It foresees that economic development will be stimulated through the procurement of goods that are produced and services that are provided in South Africa, as well as procurement that is developmental in nature.

The Public Procurement Act, which will be administered by the Minister of Finance, applies to departments, constitutional institutions, municipalities, municipal entities, and public entities.

There are also a lim
ited number of clauses which apply to Parliament and provincial legislatures.

The Act applies to all procurement carried out by a procurement institution (including procurement through donor or grant funding) any person who submits a bid or has been awarded a bid and all procurement carried out by any person on behalf of a procuring institution.

Among its wide-ranging provisions, the Act lists persons who may not submit bids including a public office bearer, employees of Parliament or provincial legislatures, and officials or employees of, among others, public entities, constitutional institutions, municipalities and municipal entities.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Woodyglen community in Hammarsdale in KwaZulu-Natal will now enjoy cost savings and reduced energy consumption as the area goes green following the installation of new solar geysers in their households.

In a move towards embracing green energy, the eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has completed the installation of solar geysers in 700 homes in Woodyglen.

The project aims to significantly reduce electricity consumption and costs for residents.

Ward 6 councillor, Bless Majola, commended the project’s completion and announced plans for expansion of the project into other areas of the ward.

Majola said the municipality has ensured the transfer of skills during the installation process.

‘Young people from the community have been trained to install and maintain the geysers, creating around 30 temporary jobs. We expect to employ more young people as the project progresses,’ Majola said.

Project Manager of Gemmed Services, Lungelo Ngcobo, emphasised the geysers’ durability, with a lifespan of up to 1
5 years and a one-year warranty.

‘Our work adheres to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy standards. Beyond installation, we prioritise skills transfer to empower the community for future maintenance needs,’ Ngcobo said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the National School of Government (NSG) are co-hosting a seminal conference this week, to reflect on the state of South Africa, 30 years into its democracy.

The conference will focus on three decades of democracy in South Africa and will zoom into social, economic and global transformation. This as South Africans of all races went to the polls for the first time in April 1994, ushering in a new democratic dispensation.

The event got under way on Thursday and is organised in association with The Presidency, the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), and the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA).

The conference will feature key panelists from the public service, academia, and civil society, fostering a national discourse through research and dynamic social dialogue.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile is scheduled to deliver the keynote address on the second day of the conference on Friday.

The gathering aims to assess the country’s de
mocratic achievements and ongoing challenges, encouraging an inclusive discussion on the future trajectory of South Africa.

While significant strides have been made in dismantling the legacy of apartheid and establishing a participatory democratic system, the institutions said the country continues to grapple with challenges.

These include declining voter participation, inequality, widespread poverty, high unemployment, water insecurity, an energy crisis, corruption, and the mounting threat of climate change.

‘Addressing these complex issues demands a concerted effort from all sectors of society – government, civil society, and business,’ the co-hosts said in a statement.

Attendees will be encouraged to consider the interconnectedness of social, political, cultural, and economic dimensions that shape the lived experiences of individuals in South Africa’s diverse society.

UJ Faculty of Humanities’ Professor Kamilla Naidoo emphasised the importance of this conference.

‘This conference represents a critica
l opportunity to reflect on South Africa’s journey over the past three decades. While the introduction of free tertiary education in South Africa through various initiatives such as the National Student Financial Aid Scheme marks a bold stride towards equity and opportunity, the conference will also address broader issues such as inequality, unemployment, and climate change,’ Naidoo said.

By examining these interconnected challenges, the professor spoke of fostering a dialogue that will contribute to the refinement of existing policies and the creation of new strategies for a more inclusive and prosperous future.

The Principal of the NSG, Professor Busani Ngcaweni, said as the country commemorates three decades of democracy, it is an opportune time to reflect on the path travelled, acknowledge the hurdles that lie ahead, and reaffirm the collective commitment to building a nation that embodies the core values of equality, justice, and shared prosperity.

He pointed out: ‘Thirty years is an important milesto
ne in the life of any living being, institution, or democracy. Looking at South Africa and its democracy using the metaphor of a child that grows from zero to thirty years we will be able to explain the best and challenges of what the country has gone through as anyone who grows up between the age of zero to thirty’.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Working on Fire-Kishugu Joint Venture (WOF-Kishugu JV) is deploying a team of more than 200 firefighters and management to the Canadian province of Alberta to assist with fire fighting efforts.

The Guardian reported on Wednesday that wildfires near the Canadian town of Jasper have forced more than 25 000 to flee one of the country’s largest national parks as multiple blazes and thick smoke descended on the Rocky Mountain community.

The report said the town is home to 5 000 full-time residents, alongside 5 000 seasonal workers.

The request for urgent assistance came from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) in terms of the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Canada and South Africa.

The MOU signed in 2019, provides for exchanging wild land fire management resources between the two countries.

The WOF have been on five deployments to Canada between 2015 and 2023 based on the MoU.

The five deployments include the historic deployment of 860 firefighters and management in 202
3, one of the largest deployments of international firefighters to Canada.

The organisation said they have since finalised the deployment list of firefighters and management.

The team is currently at Kishugu Training Academy in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, for a training camp for final preparation before departure.

The group will depart for Canada via a charter arranged by the CIFFC on Friday, 26 July 2024, from the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and are expected to be there for 39 days.

Flying the SA flag high

‘We extend our best wishes to the team as they embark on their deployment to Canada to help put out the fires raging in Alberta.

‘They go to Canada to raise the South Africa flag and share their expertise and camaraderie with colleagues from other Canadian provinces and countries.’

The team includes pump-trained firefighters with valid yellow cards, with more than three years of firefighting experience and physically fit.

Meanwhile, 30% of the selected firefighters in the first deployment are
women, including three members of the management team, which the WOF believes highlights its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

In addition, several of the team members have previous international firefighting experience, which further enhances their expertise in tackling complex fire situations.

‘We are proud that South Africa is again able to assist Canadian firefighting teams in their battle to bring the wildfires under control. The extensive experience and training of these firefighters will significantly enhance efforts to effectively suppress and manage the wildfires in Alberta.’

Local operations

The WOF has since reassured all their partners and stakeholders that this deployment will not have any impact on South African firefighting operations.

‘Every one of our 200-plus firefighting bases in South Africa will continue to provide firefighting and fire prevention services to our partners and landowners.’

The organisation said they will still have just over 5 000 firefighters available at these
bases throughout South Africa.

‘Should there be major wildland fire activities in our winter fire season provinces, we will, as we have done in the past, be able to deploy our Western and Eastern Cape firefighters to these hotspots. No partner and landowner will be left without any firefighting operations from Working on Fire, and we urge you to communicate with us directly should you have any enquiries.’

WOF is an expanded public works programme (EPWP) aimed at providing work opportunities to young men and women.

The programme, funded by the Department of Environmental Affairs, recruits participants from marginalised communities and trains them in fire awareness and education, fire prevention and fire suppression skills.

Source: South African Government News Agency