Programme Director
Executive Mayor of NMBM - Cde Wayile
Councilors
Head of Department – Mr Gxilishe
Acting Municipal Manager – Mr Hani
Distinguished guests
Officials from both my Department and the Municipality
Oluntu lwonke lwase New Brighton, Zwide nase Motherwell
All protocol observed
Programme Director on Thursday, 22 March 2012 I was tabling the Policy Speech for the Department of Roads and Public Works in the Provincial Legislature. In my speech I reiterated our efforts to strengthen our work with municipalities in a number of areas through partnerships and service level agreements to give impetus to service delivery initiatives that seek to redress the plight of South Africans in general, and the people of the Eastern Cape in particular.
Furthermore, we need to ensure that national and provincial government does work more closely with local government to ensure that they fulfill their respective functions more effectively.
Our work in the Department of Roads and Public Works is not just about “Roads” and “Buildings”, it is also about how can we infuse a process of job creation, skills development and entrepreneurship capacity development in roads and buildings construction and maintenance through our Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
Ngokucinga kwethu olu lolona hlobo sicinga lucacile kwaye lusebenzisa imizekelo ephilayo yokulwa indlala nentswela ngqesho ethwaxa uluntu ngobubanzi kweli Phondo lwe Mpuma Koloni.
Today we are here to expand on a greening project that is intended to create a significant number of jobs, jobs that are meant to push back frontiers of poverty and restore the dignity of our people.
Programme Director, only three days ago, our country celebrated Human Rights Day as a defining moment in our quest for a better life for all, and as momentous day in our belief that all South Africans deserve to lead a life of dignity free from the shackles dehumanising poverty and unemployment.
As we are here to launch the Sakhisizwe Greening and Parks Programme I am pleased to note that today’s launch is an expansion of a Programme that was initiated in 12 different wards across Port Elizabeth and the Charles Duna Primary School in New Brighton in September 2011. During the first phase of this intervention, 40 people were appointed to perform cleaning, greening and maintenance of social amenities.
Programme Director, humbled by the resilience of our people in the face of grinding poverty and unemployment, my Department saw it necessary to expand this intervention to cover Wards 15, 26 and 55. Focus will be on job creation through school maintenance, cleaning and maintenance of parks and eradication of illegal dumping in our communities. In this regard, I am pleased to announce that job opportunities will be created as follows:
- In Ward 15 (New Brighton) – 12 people will be employed to maintain 2 schools, 22 people will be employed in the maintenance of parks and 10 will be engaged to deal with the problem of illegal dumping. This will take the total of people to be employed in Ward 15 to 44.
- In Ward 26 (Zwide) – another 26 beneficiaries will be employed to maintain schools, 4 people will get jobs in the maintenance of parks and 24 people will be employed to work on eradicating illegal dumping. The total number of people to be employed in Ward 26 is 40.
- In Ward 55 (Motherwell) – 6 people will be employed to maintain schools, while 22 people will be employed to maintain 11 parks and 12 people will be engaged to deal with illegal dumping.
Programme Director, as we all know by now, the scourge of unemployment disproportionally affects our young people – the future of our nation. It is therefore within this context that we have decided as the department to further engage 5 young people in all the three Wards to be trained under our National Youth Service. The 15 young people from these Wards combined will be trained in trades such as plumbing, carpentry, electrical works, welding and bricklaying. As we expand the Programme, young people will also be trained in Roads related disciplines such as plant maintenance and pothole patching. For the entire District, 80 NYS Leaners will be appointed in the next Financial Year.
Ladies and gentlemen, our response to the challenge of accessing employment opportunities information and by our is something that continues to concern my department. In our attempt to bring closer work opportunities to our people, we have decided to implement Amathuba Jobs Portal which is an interactive database that links work seekers with potential employers. Today, a team of officials from the department will be registering work seekers on Amathuba Jobs Portal in all the three Wards covered by this intervention.
Programme Director let me remind everyone about what Nelson Mandela once said he reminded us that “overcoming poverty is not an act of charity but it is an act of justice, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.”
Kungoko ke sisithi sileli sebe kulilungelo laye nawuphina ummi waseMzantsi Afrika ukuba axhamle kumathuba enqhesho kwaye akwazi ukuzondlela usapho lwakhe. Njengoba wayesitsho uMadiba, indlala ayidalwanga kwaye nathi singu-Rulumente we ANC siyayilwa ngako konke esinako.
Programme Director, this intervention would neither succeed nor be sustainable if it was not implemented through our partnership with the Municipality. In this regard, I want to complement the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality for joining hands with us as we all endeavour to bring a life of dignity to all our people through our respective Expanded Public Works Programmes. The municipality’s determination to act decisively and take advantage of such life changing initiatives is testimony to your eagerness to succeed in the war against poverty and unemployment.
I know this project will provide the much needed cash injection to a significant number of families so that they are able to send the kids to school and have a meal. I hope training will also be prioritized in the rollout of this programme.
Programme Director, the Municipality must also be commended for prioritising cleaning and greening, as opposed to the limited understanding that EPWP is only about infrastructure. Job creation is not only expected from infrastructure development, but it can also be implemented in all projects where public sector funds are utilised. These include job creation interventions in the Environment Sector of EPWP.
This cleaning and greening project will not only create jobs but will also improve our health and environment. The training that will be provided should assist us to be more effective and be able to appreciate our environment.
In rolling out this project we need to consider recycling the domestic waste that will be collected, large revenue could be collected and cooperatives can also be established to manage the project. We can start small with the sorting of the waste and the establishment of the buy-back centers.
Programme Director, we have come here as servants of the people. The mandate that the scores of ordinary South Africans have given to the ANC to lead, is a commitment that we will never abandon.
Xa ndigqibezela Mphathi Hlelo, iSebe lezeNdlela neMisebenzi yoLuntu lithi kubantu basse New Brighton, Zwide and Motherwell, zolani, thina sizizicaka zenu sivumile.
Together as different spheres of government we can do more in the fight against poverty and unemployment.
Thank you!
