More opportunities for Tshwane jobless

1 787 PEOPLE WILL BE EMPLOYED BY CITY A total of 6 215 beneficiaries passed through the system since September.

The city of Tshwane brought happiness to 1 787 young people who were selected for the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) as part of the city’s commitment to creating 23 000 EPWP work opportunities in this financial year.

The new recruits were chosen on Valentine’s Day in the third lottery draw. This brings the total of work opportunities created to 6 215.

Tshwane mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi said the beneficiaries were selected since the implementation of the revised EPWP recruitment framework policy passed by council in September last year.

“The programme comprises work opportunities for both projects and programmes in various sectors which ensures the upliftment and skills development of the participants,” Mgobozi said.

The latest recruits were selected from regions one to seven and will be employed as follows: customer relations management (114), Prasa (20), utility services (19), regional operation coordination (60), health department (115), community and social development services (42), roads department (14) and regional operations coordination (1 403).

“We appreciate that people across the country in both rural and urban areas remain disproportionately affected by high unemployment rates, poverty and lack of access to the formal economy. The disproportionately high level of unemployment highlights the importance of finding ways to increase participation in the economy.

“The core of the DA-run municipalities is to focus on creating more work opportunities and creating a comprehensive EPWP which fairly benefits all eligible beneficiaries,” Mgobozi said.

He added that by excluding councillors from the EPWP recruitment process, they were able to ensure these opportunities were distributed in a fair and transparent manner and not on the basis of party political affiliation.

Mgobozi said the city is in the contracting process for the first and second lottery beneficiaries and that contracting for the third beneficiaries will commence after an internal audit has issued a certificate. –

Picture: Jacques Nelles An art installation titled by Andre Carl is seen at Sea Point promenade in Cape Town. The work speaks to the fragility of the rhino population in sub-Saharan Africa.