Renaming a dead policy using a new fancy title is something our current leaders excel at.
Soon the National Development Plan 2030 (NDP) could be renamed Ama-2000 on track 2045. Evidence of excelling at renaming is the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) being renamed to the Public Employment Programme (PEP). This is serving the same menu on a different plate, in my view.
The South African government introduced the project in the early 2000s with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure as the implementing agent. This project has its origin in the 2003 Growth and Development Summit. It aimed at creating work opportunities for 4,5 million poor and unemployed South Africans, and halving unemployment by 2014.
The EPWP formed a good strategy within its policy guidelines and training objectives aligned to the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS). They include learnerships, artisan development and soft skills programmes.
Learnerships would provide industry-specific mentors for training; artisan development focused on the technical, practical and theoretical training in the workplace; soft skills programmes would involve unit standards from various Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas).
However, results reveal a lack of creativity and lacklustre management. What was meant to be a good story about the EPWP is now chaos – with maladministration, friendships placed first, and funds going in the wrong direction.
Given this, it is advisable we go back to using the name EPWP with orange overalls. Not green, yellow, brown, or even red. It is high time we remove PEP workers from where they lie resting underneath the trees, and start empowering them by endeavouring to train them and support them by paying living wages. In this scenario, the EPWP should be administered by municipalities.
In addition, municipal public works members of the mayoral committee must be custodians of the programme. Monthly reports must be sent to Members of the Executive Council (MECs) for Public Work and there must be regular site visitations.
It is not an exaggeration that many who might be employed by the EPWP will not possess post-matric qualifications; this is where the cross-cutting training comes in. Training must utilise the Swot analysis (strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat), and profile individuals’ abilities.
Millions of rands were spent paying for engineering expertise, with no returns to show. This was a lost opportunity to empower and fast-track EPWP workers to close the gap. I do not say “skills gap”, hence I do not agree with the “lack of skills gap” myth that both the private and public sector talks about to shift the goalpost.
A group of 20 EPWP workers, ten with qualifications in plumbing and ten with plumbing knowledge, can make a huge impact in bettering appalling conditions in the city. Just imagine training EPWP workers on constructing better sewage systems, or mixing tar to patch dangerous potholes. Better infrastructure would be a reality.
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T
shegofatso Leeuw
is a community
columnist.
