Download Press Release - Gauteng Department of Economic Development

Department of Economic Development
Press Release
For immediate release
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
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CWP projects benefit Gauteng’s most needy areas
The MEC for Economic Development, Firoz Cachalia and the Executive Mayor of City of
Ekurhuleni, Councilor Ntombi Mekgwe launched the Community Works Programme (CWP) at
Tembisa, Ekurhuleni today.
The CWP is a new addition to government’s public employment programmes. It is an areabased programme, designed as an employment ‘safety net’ – offering a minimum level of
regular and predictable work to those who need it in poor communities. The participants will be
paid at R50 per person for two working days at a maximum 100 days per year.
Strategic oversight of the programme is provided by a Steering Committee currently made up of
representatives from the Presidency, Department of Social Development (SDS), Department of
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Department of Public Works (DPW)
and National Treasury. COGTA is the home of CWP and provides Programme management
through implementing agencies such as Seriti Institute.
Cachalia said: This is the model we have adopted from COGTA and we are delighted that the
Gauteng Provincial Government pilot sites took off efficiently here in Tembisa, Katlehong and
Etwatwa in Daveyton. “The priority is to target the most marginalized areas first; however the
potential exists for the CWP to reach every municipality in the Province. Optimum participation
is envisaged to grow by 1000 people per site per annum to an average of 4000 in each
participating municipality. We have set aside an amount of R32 882 824 for this financial year
alone and significant financial commitments have been made over the next four years; said
Cachalia.
The Community Works Programme (CWP), is a direct employment creation programme, aimed
at addressing the current high levels of unemployment while addressing some of the structural
employment characteristics underpinning both the South African economy as well as the
Gauteng provincial economy. The CWP aims to create real jobs in communities, which also
assist in building up communities and improving the access to services and infrastructure. This
in turn acts as a trigger for expanding business formation and increasing incomes in the poorest
of areas.
The focus on direct employment creation initiatives by government represents a significant
departure from the approaches taken in the past, which have focused on creating an income
stream to the poorest. The CWP is based on a methodology that promotes stable and
predictable income streams, as a basis and anchor for developing opportunities by trapping and
recycling these income streams in the community in which they are earned.
More importantly, this programme works within the ward structures at community level. Ward
structures identify the type of work that needs to be done and who should do this work. As a
result of this, the by-product of this initiative is to enhance and strengthen ward structures of
local government. Typical programmes include:

A strong focus on food security;

Home-based care;

Care of orphans and vulnerable children;

Environmental rehabilitation and maintenance;

Informal settlement upgrading; and

Partnerships with schools to provide maintenance, labour for food gardens, to use
unemployed matriculants to supervise homework classes, recreation activities etc...
The programme will supplement other livelihood strategies rather than replace or displace them.
The programme supplements other livelihood strategies rather than replacing or displacing
them. The CWP uses community development approaches to identify useful work at the local
level which helps to build community participation in local development planning and to fast
track the delivery of priorities identified at community levels. There are two potential benefits
stemming from these opportunities. Firstly, increased spending by the new income earners
supports retailers and therefore supply, and creates consumption driven multipliers. Secondly,
this may give rise to the development of different businesses and co-operatives, against the
security of this new, reliable income stream. In other words, now that there is a reliable income
stream, it may reduce the risk in these communities to engage in new economic activity.
Ends.
Issued by Gauteng Department of Economic Development
For more information contact: Siphiwe Hlope on 011 355 – 8150 or 082 411 9229