Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson will next week launch an Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) listening tour in Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape.

During the tour, Macpherson will invite community members to share their experiences regarding the EPWP in a bid to improve and reform the programme.

The Minister will be joined by the Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality, Gary van Niekerk, Ward Councillor Jonny Arendse and EPWP officials.

The EPWP provides an important avenue for labour absorption and income transfers to poor households in the short to medium-term. It is a deliberate attempt by the public sector bodies to use expenditure on goods and services to create work opportunities for the unemployed.

EPWP projects employ workers on a temporary or on-going basis either by government, by contractors, or by other non-governmental organisations under the Ministerial Conditions of Employment for the EPWP or learnership employment conditions.

The department said over
the years, the EPWP has been plagued by allegations of patronage, corruption and jobs-for-political party members due to the way in which EPWP jobs are allocated.

“Through the listening tour, which will be rolled out nationwide in the months ahead, the Minister hopes to hear from communities about their experiences regarding EPWP and to highlight the issues encountered with the programme,” said the department.

The tour and interaction with communities will also inform the Minister’s vision to reimage the EPWP programme.

Source: South African Government News Agency