Public Works on Expanded Public Works Programme Awards

EPWP Kamoso Awards – honouring excellence in the creation of work opportunities for South Africans

Public bodies across South Africa are the centrepiece in the government’s initiative to move South African out of poverty through the creation of more than 6 million work opportunities by 2019. This message reverberated loudly at the prestigious 2015 Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) Kamoso Awards ceremony held on 26 November 2015 at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria.

Public bodies – including government and state owned entities – were honoured for their excellence in the creation of EPWP work and training opportunities during the 2014/15 financial year.

Between April 2014 and March 2015 the government reached and surpassed the EPWP targets for the first year of Phase 3 by creating a total of 1,24 million work opportunities against the target of 1,04 million work opportunities. The government’s good performance in the creation of these opportunities was mostly driven by public bodies. 

Delivering the keynote on behalf of the Minister of Public Works, The MEC for Infrastructure Development in Gauteng Ms Nandi Mayathula-Khoza congratulated all the award winners and encouraged other EPWP implementers to emulate these winners in the work to create over 6 million work opportunities by 2019.

“By recognising excellence in the work of individuals, organisations and implementing bodies, we also raise the bar and inspired others to emulate their example,”” she stated.

Ms Mayathula-Khoza said that “as we strive for excellence – as individuals and organisations – we contribute to the broader socio-economic development of society and we improve the conditions of the people as a whole.”

She said that the 2015 Awards had been refined and adjusted to reflect the principles which underpin phase 3 of the EPWP, including creation of community assets, creation of sustainable livelihoods, transparency in recruitment and selection, and promoting training alongside income support.

“For the first time we have introduced a category for the Best Innovative Project across all four EPWP sectors. This category was evaluated using the following criteria and guidelines - the degree of convergence between sectors , partnerships established - partnerships between departments, Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) and the private sector, the impact of the project in the community, compliance with Ministerial determination in relation to the minimum wage, Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA), transparent recruitment and selection procedures of EPWP participants, contribution of the project to sustainable livelihoods, duration of work opportunities, as well as the accredited training provided.”

Ms Mayathula-Khoza highlighted some of the key EPWP programmes and projects that were  improving the lives of South Africans daily, including a range of EPWP training programmes such as the EPWP Artisan Development Programme, the Social Sector programmes that were alleviating poverty and hunger in communities across South Africa such as the North West Food and Empowerment Project as well as community centres across the country that were at the heart of the government’s work to move South Africans out of poverty, inequality and joblessness.

The 2015 EPWP Kamoso Awards consisted of 21 categories/awards in the four Sectors of EPWP, namely Infrastructure, Social, Environment and Culture as well as Non-State.  The Gauteng Province walk away with six of the 21 awards including the Best Maintenance Programme in the Infrastructure Sector, the Best Province in the Social Sector, Best Province in the Environment and Culture Sector as well as the Best Innovation Project in all sectors.

Both the KwaZulu- Natal and the Mpumalanga provinces received three awards each. KwaZulu-Natal won the Best Province under the EPWP Infrastructure Sector, while the Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality won the Best Municipality in Infrastructure Sector. The Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport bagged the award for Best Public Body Implementing the National Youth Service Programme while the Sakh’abakhi Contractor Development Programme in Mpumalanga Province was awarded the Best Public Body Supporting Contractor Development award.

One of the projects that won 2015 Kamoso awards is the Ramatlabama Food Security Project in North West. This project started in 2013 - and currently operating on a farm in the Ramatlabama Village in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality. The project – which employs 18 community members - is producing a variety of vegetables, including spinach, cabbage, onions, carrots, beetroot, pumpkin and potatoes.

Currently, the project is selling its produce to businesses such as Spur Restaurant in

Mahikeng, Pick n Pay store in Mahikeng, Boxer Superstore as well as to the hawkers in Mahikeng and Zeerust. Any surplus produce is then donated to charity for the public good.

One of the participants from this successful EPWP Social Sector projects, Ms Alina Khalane – had this to say about the project: “The project has afforded me an opportunity not only to learn about food production, but also to contribute to the improvement of the lives of the vulnerable and needy in our neighbourhood. We are also able to provide food to our local centre for people with disabilities. Being part of this project has been life changing.”

Below is the list of the 2015 EPWP Kamoso Awards Winners

For enquiries please contact:
Kgomotso Mathuloe
Cell: 082 957 3667 

Lesego Moretlwe
Tel: 012 492 1454