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The Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) welcomes the call by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure to reform the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
 
The Minister has highlighted the urgent need for reform of the EPWP to establish a sustainable pathway to permanent employment. This comes amidst ongoing protests by former EPWP employees in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal. The Minister reaffirmed that the EPWP, originally designed as a short-term initiative to provide work experience and training, aims to facilitate the transition to permanent employment. The program remains a cornerstone of government’s efforts to combat poverty by creating job opportunities through labour-intensive methods.
 
The PSA urges the Minister to prioritise expanding the EPWP and ensuring the permanent insourcing of all participants. Since inception in April 2004, the EPWP has trained more than ten million individuals, many of whom remain unemployed, and only a being employed. Reforming the EPWP is essential for retaining skills in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and making a significant impact on South Africa’s alarming unemployment rate.

Issued by the Public Servants Association of South Africa