The Expanded Public Works Programme’s policy framework must be reviewed to stop politicians and officials dishing out work opportunities to friends, family and/or in exchange for votes.
After submitting a public petition to Parliament late last year calling for the review, the GOOD Party was given the opportunity in March to address the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure on motivation and context.
GOOD MP Shaun August told the committee that although the EPWP provided short-term jobs, it was in reality more a poverty alleviation than a true job-creation programme.
It was established as a safety net for the swelling ranks of the unemployed who don’t qualify for other grants.
But while disability, old-age and child grants are paid to qualifying recipients without regard to who they know or which political party they support, the opposite applied to the EPWP, August said.
Crooked politicians and officials were effectively giving vulnerable people the choice of voting for a particular party, or starving. These aren’t either DA or ANC tactics; they both do it where they lead.
Addressing the manipulation of the programme for political ends was urgent in an election year, August said.
The GOOD petition requested the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and its portfolio committee to review EPWP policy such as to be able to ensure compliance by all levels of government, all departments and municipalities, with the principles of fair and impartial allocations of EPWP opportunities.
The programme should provide equal opportunities to all in the ranks of the unemployed, while the current living/minimum wage in the program should be reviewed.
The portfolio committee was also addressed by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, which agreed the GOOD petition raised issues of political patronage it had been grappling with.
In a statement after the meeting in response to August’s presentation, the portfolio committee said it was encouraged with the commitment of the Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Ms Noxolo Kiviet, who agreed that the programme was often politically manipulated.
It noted that the department was working to eradicate problems that undermines the objectives of the programme meant for poverty alleviation.
The committee instructed the department to develop a draft Public Works Bill including clauses for the enforcement of uniform implementation of standardised policy at all spheres of government.
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