Author: Marlene Nqumse
EPWP Grant Allocation Workshop
On Tuesday, 26 March 2019, the National Department of Public Works in collaboration with the Provincial Department of Public Works and Transport held an Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) grant allocation workshop. EPWP officials from all seven b-municipalities in the Garden Route and Central Karoo districts attended the event.
The objective of the engagement was to inform municipalities about the methodology utilised for the 2019/20 allocation of grants as per the Discover, Offer, Request, Acknowledge (DORA) framework. The conditions of grants were presented to workshop attendees.
During the insightful and interactive working session, municipalities reflected on their 2018/19 Integrated Grant Performances, EPWP Phase III performance reports and the targets and expansion areas for the EPWP Phase IV. The different municipalities’ spending performance were highlighted, challenges experienced during the past phase discussed and general concerns and suggestions shared.
One of the key concerns raised by officials during the sessions was that it has not been feasible to provide training to all the big numbers of EPWP participants due to limited funding. It was agreed that targets set by public bodies were unrealistic and many public bodies did not have the capacity to implement and report EPWP projects, and it was suggested that the targets should be linked to grant allocations provided by the national department. Mr Richard Dyantyi also raised concerns that district municipality does not receive a Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) which hampers them to meet their targets in terms of work opportunities and FTE (Full Time Equivalent), as outlined in the protocol agreement. During a robust discussion by representatives of all three spheres of government, it arose that the EPWP Phase IV process will come-up with strategies to address most of these challenges.
A few presentations were presented on the following subjects, which were presented by National and Provincial offices-bearers:
- The EPWP Integrated Grant Model, calculations, DoRA framework and Technical Support;
- The 2018/19 EPWP Integrated Grant projects on the System and Evaluation Reports;
- National Skills Fund Training;
- An update on the EPWP Phase IV; and
- The National EPWP Policy.
According to Ms Lindiwe Kuna from the National Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP does not have a national formal policy in place – a need to formulate a policy will be prioritised. According to Ms Kuna, the 1st phase of the policy formulation process started last year, 2018, after a consultant was appointed. “Today, we are here to continue with the process and start with phase 2, whereby we give an opportunity to EPWP representatives to also provide input to be considered for incorporation into the policy,” she said.
The audience then formed plenary session, after which each group had to discuss and present their feedback to the entire audience at the event.
The session was attended by 60 delegates and was facilitated by Mr Mzimkulu Gusha from the National Department of Public Works
First Youth on the Move event for the district
The Minister of Economic Opportunities, Ms Beverley Schäfer and the Minister of Social Development, Mr Albert Fritz, visited George to launch the first ever, ‘’Youth on the Move: Gateway to Opportunities” programme on 4 and 5 March 2019.
This two-day pilot youth initiative was hosted by the Western Cape Government in collaboration with the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), George Municipality and the Garden Route Skills Mecca steering committee. The “Youth on the Move” programme is a step towards achieving the commitment made by Minister Schäfer to create 250 000 new job opportunities Local Government level, and aimed at connecting youth who are looking for opportunities with employers and organisations.
On Monday, 4 March 2019, Minister Schäfer and her delegation met with the executive mayors of the GRDM and George Municipality, representatives of the local business chambers, potential employers, educational institutions and local stakeholder groups working with the youth. During this jam-packed gathering, the GRDM Mayor, Cllr Memory Booysen, explained the district’s vision of becoming a skills mecca, not only for those residing in the Garden Route or Western Cape Province, but for the entire South Africa. He enlightened the audience about last year’s Investment Conference and the two Skill Summits hosted by GRDM as well as the resolutions taken and spearheaded by the GRDM. Mayor Booysen continued by saying: “In order for people to invest in our region, we need to have the relevant skills to drive investment and because of this, the GRDM took a conscious decision to up-skill our people in the district. Today I am here to declare that we are ready for business, we are committed and with the limited funds that we have, we want to drastically lower unemployment, up-skill the youth, and do whatever is necessary for this district to be one of the best”.
On Tuesday, 5 March 2019, Minister Schäfer met with over 200 unemployed young people from the region. During the event, youth were placed into various working groups where they answered questions about barriers faced when trying to access opportunities. The youth also shared their views on how technology is used nowadays to advance skills and opportunities, and how they go about finding work and opportunities.
During her keynote address, Minister Schäfer said: “Too many young people in South Africa do not have access to opportunities. Our job as government is to open the gateway between employers and young people looking for jobs. You need to walk through that gateway and get that first job. Once you’ve got that first job, you’ve got the experience to put on your CV, which allows you to show that you’ve got skills,” she said.
In conclusion Minister Schäfer said: “Over the past two days we’ve heard from employers that they’re not finding the best people with the right skills and we’ve heard from young people that transport, safety and the cost of printing out a CV, are some of the barriers that they’re experiencing. By growing digital skills in our province, and encouraging youth to use technology like online job searches, apps and to make use of services like youth cafés and the ICAN Learn programmes, we can start to make headway in addressing the concerns expressed by both employers and the youth,” she said.
Subject to the outcomes of the initiative, the “Youth on the Move” programme will be adjusted and progressively rolled out across the Western Cape Province with an event scheduled every three months as district and local municipalities come on board. Through this project, the Western Cape Government together with the district- and local municipalities in the Garden Route strive to create a pathway for unemployed youth to access opportunities, to match the demand of employers for suitable qualified persons in the district and in that way sustain industries and support economic growth within the district and Western Cape.
