The South African Cabinet has approved a comprehensive business plan for the implementation of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), which will target the employment of one-million unemployed people over five years, according to President Thabo Mbeki.
The programme is expected to be launched soon in phases to help boost economic growth and sustainable development in the country over the medium-term, Mbeki said during a speech to Parliament’s National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
The EPWP was first announced by Mbeki in his State of the Nation address in February. Its goal is to draw significant numbers of the unemployed into productive employment, so that workers gain skills while they are gainfully employed, and increase their capacity to earn an income once they leave the programme.
Mbeki told the NCOP the EPWP would target one-million unemployed people in the first five years.
“I am pleased to report that the Department of Public Works together with other departments, including the Departments of Environment Affairs and Tourism, Agriculture, Education, Health, Social Development and Trade and Industry, provincial and local governments and civil society formations, have come up with a comprehensive business plan, approved by Cabinet on 4 November 2003, which will now be implemented in phases,” he said.
“The EPWP is targeting one-million unemployed people in the first five years.
“The centerpiece of the EPWP is a large-scale programme using labour-intensive methods to upgrade rural and municipal roads, municipal pipelines, storm water drains and paving as well as fencing of roads, community water supply and sanitation, maintenance of government buildings, housing, schools and clinics, rail and port infrastructure, and electrification infrastructure, among other improvements.”
Some of the approved environmental and cultural programmes that would also contribute to the EPWP were the Department of Agriculture’s Land Care Programme, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism’s Faranani- Pushing Back the Frontiers of Poverty Programme, People and Parks, Coastal Care, Sustainable Land-based livelihoods, Cleaning up South Africa, Growing A Tourism Economy Programmes, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry’s Working for Water, Wetlands and Fire Programmes, and the Department of Arts and Culture Poverty Relief Programmes.
The critically important area of health also formed an important part of the EPWP, the President added, and included the Department of Health’s home-based care workers, the Department of Social Development’s Community-based care and support workers and the Department of Education’s early childhood development workers.
The economic sector EPWP initiatives included the Department of Agriculture’s community production centres and the Departments of Labour and Trade and Industry’s micro-enterprise development and venture learnership programmes.
“The success of the EPWP will depend on how well all our spheres of government will work together as partners to achieve practical results,” observed Mbeki. – I-Net Bridge