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GDID fails to meet job creation targets, while unemployment rate continues to increase

The Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development and Property Management (GDID) is constantly failing our residents by not meeting the job creation targets set and failing to complete much-needed infrastructure projects, while the unemployment rate continues to rise.

Every year, GDID commits to creating thousands of employment opportunities for our unemployed residents, yet they fail to deliver.

For the second quarter of the 2022/2023 financial year, GDID set a target of creating 10 642 employment opportunities but only created 3 640 as part of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

This is very concerning, as the construction industry is a key driver of employment opportunities and is pivotal to ensuring that our economy grows.

While the EPWP programme only provides temporary employment however it provides critical skills that are needed to find long-term employment, which assists in alleviating poverty.

In addition, more needs to be done to assist SMMEs in training areas of finance, completing tender documents and general administration.

The DA will directly engage with the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development and Property Management MEC, Lebogang Maile, to ascertain what measures is his department putting in place to ensure that they met all EPWP targets and complete the infrastructure projects within the stipulated timelines.

Furthermore, the DA is demanding that MEC Maile urgently outline plans to ensure that there are no delays in awarding of tenders. The department must also outline clearly how they will ensure that SMMEs are paid within seven days of receiving invoices.

Not only does this have a negative impact on the employment opportunities that can be created but also disadvantages our residents who are in dire need of public facilities.

The people of Gauteng deserve a government that is committed to creating employment opportunities, growing the economy, and making sure that there are sufficient public facilities like schools, clinics and hospitals.

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Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development fails to meet job creation targets, while many residents remain unemployed

It is an indictment on the unemployed residents of Gauteng that the Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) in the province continuously fails to meet its Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) objectives.

This department is responsible for the implementation of the EPWP programmes in the province.

The third quarter report has a target of creating 5252 job opportunities, however only 721 job opportunities were created.

This is worrying as programmes like the EPWP play a crucial role in alleviating unemployment not only in the province but in the entire country.

Programmes like the EPWP are very important in providing the necessary skills for our unemployed residents, particularly the youth. This helps them to find long-term employment especially given that once our learners leave school, they are not fully equipped to enter the job market.

When government departments fail to meet such an important target, it shows that they are not serious about alleviating unemployment in the province which is the economic hub of the country.

This trend cannot continue any longer and it is high time that government departments are held to account when they fail to meet important targets like job creation.

While the EPWP programme only employs our residents on a short-term basis the skills and knowledge imparted in this programme are invaluable and helps to ensure that our residents are able to either start their own businesses or seek gainful employment in the private sector.

On Monday the committee was asked to approve a budget adjustment on EPWP to the amount of almost R60 million. This is an indictment of the department’s ability to create job and opportunities for the most vulnerable and in fact it is testimony of a government who wants to keep its knee on the throat of the poor and dependent on government.

The DA is demanding a comprehensive report from the department as well as action steps on how this department will correct the great injustice to our people and will start to meet its set job creation targets.

 

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Gauteng Infrastructure Development Department fails to equip EPWP beneficiaries

Despite the of lack of skills amongst the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) beneficiaries, the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development has yet again failed to ensure the transfer of critical skills.

The Department of Infrastructure Development has not met its target of training 2 500 beneficiaries in skills development, coaching and mentorship intervention set for the second quarter of the 2017/2018 financial year.

The EPWP programme is critical for the creation of new job opportunities, mentorship, skills development and coaching especially amongst the youth, women and people with disabilities.

Despite the ANC’s ongoing rhetoric about radical economic transformation, it fails yet again to ‘walk the talk’ as only 165 beneficiaries were trained as part of the Radical Economic Transformation programme. This because the department failed to timeously appoint a service provider to conduct the much-needed training.

By not meeting the targets set, the ANC-led government is once again demonstrating that they do not care about the people or the economy of Gauteng.

The DA believes that a well-run EPWP programme is imperative, as this will ensure that unemployed youth are given the necessary education and skills needed to help grow the economy of the country.

The DA calls on the MEC for Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo to ensure that the remaining 2 335 beneficiaries receive the training they need as a matter of urgency.

I will continue to monitor the work of this department and will continue to put pressure on the MEC to ensure that the department meets its training targets.

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DA Debates Gauteng Social Development 2015/16 Annual Report

Speech by: Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL

“Secrecy over transfers to NGOs will be exposed by the DA”

  • There is no detail of transfers to each of the 2598 NGOs in Gauteng.
  • The department had 1017 abnormal appointments out of a staff compliment of 5417.
  • The department had a 17.8% vacancy rate (910 posts). Of these 47.7% were of lower skill as in Level 1-2).
  • No people with disabilities were recruited in the department during this period.
  • Out of 4198 employees, 3016 used sick leave costing the department R19 million.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Ashor Sarupen MPL

“The good, the bad and the ugly”

  • 49 individual consultants worked on 21 projects for a total of 896 work days, totalling over R2million in spend.
  • Only 75% of the EPWP grant given to the department was spent.
  • Domestic abuse is still a serious problem, drug addiction and gangsterism still plagues too many of our communities.
  • Women are disproportionately the victims of domestic violence, and many see no escape, trapping them into abusive relationships, despite the work by the department.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

 

Media Enquiries:

Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Social Development

060 558 8297

 

Ashor Sarupen

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Finance

060 558 8303

[Image source]

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DA Debates 2016/17 Gauteng Department Of Infrastructure Development Budget

Speech by: Alan Fuchs MPL

“Gauteng’s infrastructure budget expects different outcome trying same old tricks”

  • DID exhibits the typical symptoms of public sector insourcing, namely inefficiency, ineffectiveness and costs that are much higher than they would be in an environment of proper political oversight, competency, sound management and consequences for non-performance.
  • It is common cause that the building of infrastructure can positively influence the economy and our socio-economic circumstances. To do so however, requires a certain amount of investment which is usually expressed as a percentage of GDP. In Gauteng, we are nowhere near the level of investment required.
  • It is incumbent on this administration to stop the bleeding in DID. The first step that must be taken is a skills audit of all personnel to ensure that we have the right people with the requisite skills in the right job.
  • You must put your political pride in your pocket and involve the private sector either as partners in PPPs or by outsourcing the construction of infrastructure and buying or leasing back the assets

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Janho Engelbrecht MPL

“Gauteng’s infrastructure budget expects different outcome trying same old tricks”

  • DID is not able to meet its mandate, not because of this budget, but because it is not able to lift its performance above 60%, year in and year out.
  • A large part of DID’s budget goes towards Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
  • The ANC uses EPWP to prop up statistics on job creation while knowing that EPWP jobs does not represent sustainable permanent jobs.
  • If the EPWP jobs are taken out of the job creation statistics a true reflection of reality comes to the fore, which is a province facing an unemployment crisis.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Media enquiries:

Alan Fuchs, MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Infrastructure Development

060 558 8313

 

Janho Engelbrecht, MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Infrastructure Development

060 556 4343

[Image source]

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DA Gauteng Debates Social Development Budget 2016/17

Speech by: Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL

“Gauteng Social Development needs to meet rising expectations”

  • Now more than ever before, the MEC of Social development should take the lead in forging a stronger relationship with both the departments of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture and Economic development.
  • The number of organisations that lose funding during the year indicates that the department needs to constantly challenge itself to meet its own targets on the empowerment of NGO’s, so that the beneficiaries are protected from closures.
  • EPWP will receive R13.1 million. It is concerning that the HIV/AIDS sub-programme responsible for prevention and social protection programmes will have to share this amount with other programme priorities.
  • Socio-economic empowerment of people with disabilities should become a priority in Gauteng. There is no report of what the disability desk has achieved for people with disabilities in Gauteng.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Ashor Sarupen MPL

 “Social Development must learn to do more with less” 

  • Learn to do more with less, or this government will continue to fail the most vulnerable in society, whom this budget is meant to protect.
  • There is scope across this budget to spend the money allocated to the department far more effectively to achieve proper outcomes.
  • Proper costing of tenders in the department also needs to be reviewed. On the school uniform programme, we pay in excess of R600 per school uniform, when the average middle income family in South Africa spends R350 on a school uniform.
  • This R4.2 billion rand budget might not be sufficient to meet the needs of a province of over 13-million people, but it can be spent in a much more efficient manner.

The full speech can be obtained here

 

Media enquiries:

Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL

DA Shadow MEC for Social Development

060 558 8297

 

Ashor Sarupen, MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Social Development

060 558 8303

[Image source]

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I Will Stand Up To Minister Oliphant Over Closed Down Labour Centres

145 Commissioner Street

Yesterday the DA visited the Department of Labour’s job centre at 145 Commissioner Street, which has been closed for almost two years now.

This means that Johannesburg’s job seekers are being denied access to work opportunities not only by an uncaring national government, but also by a city administration that is happy to sit on its hands and do nothing to take the National Minister, Mildred Oliphant, on.

This would change if I am elected Mayor of Johannesburg. The City can’t sit back and do nothing. I would stand up to Minister Oliphant from day one and tell her to reopen this important labour centre.

Labour Centres

Labour centres play a vital role in assisting job seekers to find employment. With the most important job centre in the city being closed down, while 66 000 additional people have joined the ranks of the unemployed in the last 3 months, many people will miss out on opportunities.

If the mayor is serious about creating jobs and building a prosperous city, he would also have established the City’s own job centres linked to the national centres and a central database of available job opportunities.

Job creation will be the DA’s first priority from the day we take office in Johannesburg.

Expanded Public Works Programme, Community Works Programme, City of Johannesburg internships

We will place all available Expanded Public Works Programme, Community Works Programme, City of Johannesburg internships, and other government jobs on a central database, which will be accessible via the Internet and at job centres.

We will invite the private sector to advertise their job vacancies on this same database in order to expand the pool of available jobs.

Change is coming to Johannesburg, change that boosts the local economy, creates jobs and transforms the city into a city that delivers a better life.

 

Media enquiries:

Willie Venter

060 963 8260

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The DA has the vision to beat unemployment in Johannesburg

Randburg Labour Office

Today the DA visited the Randburg Labour Office in Johannesburg, to better understand the desperate plight of unemployed South Africans.

Job creation will be our first priority from day one in Johannesburg, when a DA government takes over governance in the city.

At the labour office, we reviewed the quality of service delivered by officials and spoke with numerous unemployed South Africans who have to queue each day to register their plight.

Managers briefed us on the number of job seekers who visit the centre every month, and the success rate of job seekers finding jobs. These numbers horrified and disturbed me, as so many more of our fellow South Africans join the ranks of the unemployed daily. I was deeply moved by the desperate poverty so many of our people find themselves in.

Expanded Public Works Programme

For this campaign to win Johannesburg, we have made it our mission to meet job-seekers every day, to take their plight on board and to make it our every effort to get into government and start a tidal wave of change that will create jobs and opportunities for millions of people.

In this campaign we want to hear first-hand accounts of how long people have been unemployed, how many times they have visited labour centres, and how many (if any) job opportunities and interviews they may have had.

And we are going to tell each and every one of these mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, of our plans to kick-start Johannesburg’s economy, and to create jobs for the thousands of unemployed people.

We are going to explain how the DA will place all available Expanded Public Works Programme, Community Works Programme, City of Johannesburg internships, and other government jobs on a central database, which will be accessible via the Internet and at job centres such as this one in Randburg.

Transforming City of Johannesburg

A DA-governed Johannesburg will invite the private sector to advertise their job vacancies on this same database so as to expand the pool of available jobs.

People will hear from me and the DA over the coming days and months how the City of Johannesburg led by the DA will offer a conditional subsidy to small businesses which have limited financial means, in order to recruit new workers, provided new  upskilled on the job.

For too long the City of Johannesburg has only sought to boost the local economy and to create jobs for insiders and connected cronies – yet the DA is ready to transform the city into South Africa’s and Africa’s powerhouse through fair job creation and a commitment to economic opportunities for all.

 

Media enquiries:

Willie Venter

Director: Communications and research

060 963 8260

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Infrastructure MEC Must Take Swift Action Against Corrupt Officials

Expanded Public Works Program

Accusations of nepotism and mismanagement continue to plague the Expanded Public Works Program (EPWP) with a number of participants claiming that the programme is being administered unfairly and that payments vary from month to month.

Run by the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development, the EPWP is aimed at providing temporary work opportunities to unemployed people across the province.

At a recent infrastructure portfolio committee meeting, a number of participants in the programme complained that they were paid different amounts from month to month, and in some cases they were treated poorly by their supervisors. They also indicated that nepotism is rife, as friends and family of department staff are appointed to senior positions in the programme.

Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, promised her department would investigate and urged complainants to lay charges and provide evidence of wrongdoing.

While this is the least that one would expect from the MEC, remedial action is always after the fact.

MEC Must Take Action Against Guilty Persons

Officials in the Department do not have their fingers on the pulse, which is why this situation was allowed to develop.

The MEC, as the political head of the department, must take responsibility for the inaction of her officials and is ultimately responsible.

While the investigation is certainly needed, the circumstances leading to the complaints should have been avoided in the first place.

The DA will request that the MEC indicates what action will be taken against guilty persons in the Department and also that she provide a strategy as to how she intends on preventing this from happening in the future.

 

Media enquiries:
Alan Fuchs MPL
DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Infrastructure Development
060 558 8313

[Image source]

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Residents Say #NoToWRMetro

Proposed Formation of a West Rand Metro

During the past four days residents of the Mogale City, Merafong, Randfontein and Westonaria municipalities united with the DA in our opposition to the proposed formation of a West Rand Metro.

During this time, the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) hosted public participation meetings in the four municipalities, and heard about the virtual collapse of service delivery, financial and administrative mismanagement, and massive levels of municipal debt in three of the four municipalities.

Capacity Building in Local Municipalities

The DA and residents made it clear that the merge would be detrimental to people’s quality of life, as the lack of administrative capacity would continue while levels of service delivery would rapidly decline.

The overwhelming sentiment at the meetings was that national and provincial government should first exhaust all other legislative means to build capacity in each of the four municipalities, before investigating the possibility of a metro.

In support of the public’s overwhelming rejection of the proposed metro and research that illustrates the negative impact it will have, the DA will intensify our efforts to prevent its formation.

Expanded Public Works Programme Workers

Despite the ANC’s blatant abuse of municipal resources to bus in Expanded Public Works Programme workers to fill seats at these public hearings – it is clear that this plan is neither feasible nor amenable – and goes against the wishes of the people.

Sign our petition opposing the proposed West Rand metro here.

 

 

Media enquiries:

Solly Msimanga MPL

DA Gauteng Provincial Chairperson

060 558 8308