Public Works creating jobs, empowering women
As asset managers of the state, the Department of Public Works (DPW) is responsible for ensuring that immovable property owned or utilised by government for delivering various services yield functional, economic and social benefits.
But the impact of the department extends far beyond the upkeep of national government assets with its Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) creating millions of jobs and its empowerment programmes opening doors for women.
According to Public Works Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko, key priorities of the department include the transformation of the property and construction sector, job creation and improving governance.
EPWP alleviating poverty
The EPWP is a flagship government development programme aimed at alleviating poverty and addressing structural unemployment.
Minister Nhleko said that since the launch of phase three of the project in 2014, the “EPWP has created more than 2.6 million work opportunities for women, youth and people with disabilities”.
Between its inception in 2004 and the end of the second phase in 2014, the EPWP produced more than 5.6 million work opportunities.
In a mid-term evaluation of the EPWP by the DPW in 2011 almost half of all beneficiaries indicated that their financial situation and that of their families had improved after they took part in the programme.
Importantly, the department projects that South Africa's unemployment rate would have been 2.8 percentage points higher in 2012 had it not been for the EPWP.
The review also found that the programme's second phase lowered the poverty rate by less than 0.5 percent which was slightly below the target. The department attributed this partly to the programme providing job opportunities for about 2.5 percent of the poor in the country or about seven percent of the unemployed.
Most of those who benefit from these opportunities are community members who otherwise would not have had any chance of entering the formal world of work
Once in the EPWP, participants receive training in various things such as gardening, security, community care giving, firefighting or learn to be basic pharmacy assistants or artisans.
Through the EPWP's training and skills development initiative, more
than 300 artisans were trained as part of government's goal to produce 30 000 artisans a year by 2030.
Community assets and services delivered through the programme include dams, roads, community recreational facilities, schools and hospitals that are constructed and maintained using the EPWP's labour intensive methods.
Developing coastal properties, building bridges
The DWP aims to develop and rehabilitate 333 harbour and coastal properties along the country's coastal areas.
“These repair and maintenance work projects will assist in creating additional work opportunities to improve the quality of lives of our people in the Western Cape,” explained the Minister.
He said that R400 million has been allocated for the first phase of the project that entails dredging and removing sunken vessels in Hout Bay, Gordons Bay and Kalk Bay.
Another of the department's programmes is aimed at providing socio-economic infrastructure to rural communities. This includes the implementation of the Rural Bridges Programme in partnership with the Department of Defence and Military Veterans. The project provides bailey type bridges to needy communities.
“These bridges are cost effective and highly useful in the rural areas as they connect villages and create access to amenities for socio-economic development. Bridge sites have been identified in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape for prioritisation,” said Minister Nhleko.
Empowering women
In 2015 the department launched the Women Empowerment Advisory Committee to address the lack of transformation in the construction and property industries.
The Minister said that while the committee has yielded desirable results in the DPW's quest to empower women in the construction and property sectors, “there's a need to strengthen it to ensure that the department makes a profound impact in these industries”.
“Professional registration of project managers remains a challenge for women due to the lack of project allocation,” he added.
Property and construction were specifically targeted to empower women because of the low representation and recognition of professional women within the built environment.
The committee looks to promote the active participation of women in the infrastructure delivery value chain through the allocation of set targets; identification of skills shortages and the development of support systems for emerging female contractors and built environment professionals.
It also aims to enhance entrepreneurial development and increase the number of women contractors and women in property.
Minister Nhleko wants the implementation of set targets to increase the number of tenders garnered by women.
“By … implementing mechanisms to counter fronting and the abuse of the DPW and transformation charters, we can really successfully achieve total women empowerment in the construction and property sectors,” he said.
The Minister also called for the development of strategies through the Construction Industry Development Board grading system for the progression of women from emerging contractors to established contractors.
Gender equality
Closer to home, the DPW currently employs 2 844 women of which 66 are in senior management positions.
Through entrepreneurial workshops, outreach initiatives, mentorship and coaching programmes, the DPW actively contributes to the development of youth, socio-economic empowerment and gender equality. Awareness campaigns relating to bullying, gender-based violence and sexual harassment in the workplace are also implemented by the DPW such as their support of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign in November and December 2017.
“South Africa is a signatory to several regional and international commitments on women empowerment and gender equality, therefore public and private institutions should put in place programmes geared towards women empowerment,” said the Minister.
He called for the mentoring, coaching and training of women in senior management structure positions to enhance retention in the public service; the establishment of a succession planning strategy as well as women entrepreneur and gender sensitisation programmes.
“Gender balanced mentorship is vital as a support system to mitigate a hostile environment and is an effective coping strategy,” explained Minister Nhleko.
No place for fraud and corruption
The Minister is committed to clamping down on fraud and corruption within the department in order to achieve good governance and effective service delivery.
He added that the department has taken a holistic approach towards combatting fraud, corruption and unethical behaviour.
“The DPW Fraud Prevention Strategy clearly outlines a high level plan on how the department will go about effectively responding to the nature of the prevailing challenges,” said Minister Nhleko
The strategy is reviewed periodically. Since the 2010/11 financial years 148 fraud awareness presentations
have been conducted within the department targeting all DPW officials.
Operation Bring Back
During 2014/2015, the DPW launched phase one of Operation Bring Back (OBB) to identify and investigate possible cases where state-owned properties have been unlawfully occupied, sold or disposed of.
“The Immovable Asset Register rebuild programme identified a number of anomalies relating to unlawful disposal and occupation of state-owned land.The OBB project is currently conducting investigations into these cases,” he said.
According to the Minister, the OBB project performed 12 data analytic procedures on deeds records and identified nine red flags whereby state-owned land was sold or transferred to third parties.The Fraud Investigation Unit is currently investigating 40 state properties that were allegedly disposed of illegally to DPW officials.
Furthermore, the OBB project conducted physical verification and identified 1 299 illegally occupied properties at various regional offices around the country.
“We received further reports that a number of properties are illegally occupied at Thohoyandou and the Polokwane Regional Office confirmed that 19 eviction orders have been issued,” Minister Nhleko added.
The OBB project includes a communication strategy and will encourage members of the public to report allegations relating to misappropriation of state-owned land.
The strategy will now extend to a national awareness campaign highlighting the discoveries made during preliminary investigations conducted in phase one of the OBB project.
“The media will also be made aware of phase two of the OBB project which includes comprehensive investigations into the anomalies and red flags identified during phase one of the OBB project.The media will further be informed of the department strategy to manage the illegally occupied DPW properties,” explained the Minister.
“The Fraud Investigation Unit is currently investigating
40 state properties that were allegedly disposed of illegally to DPW officials.”
United in HIV and AIDS fight
He stressed that the department was committed to the fight against HIV and AIDS and recently commemorated 2017 World AIDS Day in line with the national theme,‘It is my right to know my status, prevention is my responsibility'.
The DPW's head office and all regional offices marked World AIDS Day through information sessions that addressed gender-based violence, rape and the link to HIV and AIDS, including men's health and the importance of HIV counselling and testing
“The department focused on conducting various dialogues around gender, sexuality and HIV and AIDS along with on-site health screenings such as eye, nutrition, glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure checks, including on-site HIV counselling and testing,” he added.