Programme director
MECs present
Chair of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works, Mr Godfrey Olifant
Chair of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, Mr Elliot Sogoni
Members of Parliament present
Director-General of Public Works, Mr Siviwe Dongwana
Director-General of COGTA, Mr Elroy Africa
Councillors
Agrément SA CEO, Mr Joe Odhiambo
CIDB CEO, Mr Ronnie Khoza
CBE CEO, Mr Bheki Zulu
CETA, Chairperson Mr Frank Fredericks
DDG EPWP, Mr Stanley Henderson
Deputy Director General Special Projects, Mr Mandla Mabuza
Senior Management in the Department of Public Works
Management of our public entities
Officials in the national Department of Public Works
Members of the media
Invited guests
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good day,
I stand here before you all, renewed with an unequalled sense of hope and more so courage that indeed the arbiters of the decision to invite you all to this summit exemplified the commitment by our national department of public works to adopt an all inclusive approach to implementing the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) as a cornerstone of our socioeconomic hopes.
Honoured guests, these past three days will forever occupy a central space in the reliable archives of our memories. We will all leave this beautiful city of Durban with a renewed sense of an enthusiastic positive ethic of working together to do more. Furthermore, the throngs of delegates from even the most obscure parts of this beautiful country of us that heeded our clarion call to come here and treat the EPWP summit as a navel gazing opportunity after which we will raise up our heads and direct our communities into a prosperous future.
This summit further entrench our mass mobilisation to pull our people from the claws of intergenerational poverty.
Yes we can.
The quality and extent of deliberations over the past three days reflect a stark revolutionary attitude against poverty and unemployment. Even the most irredeemable of sceptics would not want to contend with our persistent resolve to create work opportunities for the unemployed masses of our people.
Ladies and gentlemen, the historic summit we are closing today further commits us to the respect we have for our constitution as we place a particular focus on Chapter three which obligates us to work cooperatively with each other. The curtains that are drawing to close on this summit leaves us with a beam of hope for improved service delivery in our communities, and a commitment to the ethos that government delivers to us, with us and for us.
With this summit, we exemplified our respect and appreciation for the critical role that has, can and must be played by our local sphere of government in implementing this cutting edge socio-economic programme. We further, acknowledge local government for their enthusiastic participation in the deliberations during this summit. From now on, we must all claim full ownership of the EPWP and your ownership status can only be enhanced through the successful implementation of this programme.
More so, that your ownership rights are guaranteed by our unwavering support in your continuing efforts to create jobs and fight poverty.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us all observe the important lesson that poverty is not only limited to lack of material acquisitions, it is also a result of the lonely isolation from the people and situations that can allow you an opportunity to make the most of your abilities.
The joint resolutions and recommendations of the EPWP summit weave together a rich tapestry of joint partnerships and cooperation to make this programme successful.
We must take advantage of this networking opportunity that we have today. Our gathering here over the past three days surely raised the bar in terms of expectations arising from our people but more importantly the stock value of EPWP as a brand to unprecedented levels.
It is equally imperative for me to highlight to all present the outcomes of this summit as it further endorses our government’s central performance system approach that places outcomes as both a centrifugal and centripetal element of performance.
Outcomes of the summit:
Summit resolutions that will be passed will contain the following points:
- Municipalities commit to sign protocols on EPWP by end of November 2010
- Municipalities will develop and endorse policy on EPWP
- Municipalities will ensure that their IDPs include EPWP projects
- Municipalities will optimise their budgets to deliver on the EPWP across all sectors
- Municipalities will optimise the use of labour-intensive methods in their projects in order to promote the creation of work opportunities
- Municipalities resolve to create EPWP forums at a District level to monitor, analyse and share best practice implementation of the EPWP
- NDPW will strengthen collaboration with the Department of Corporative Governance (DCOG), South African Local Government Association(SALGA), Development Bank of Southern Africa(DBSA) and other stakeholders to implement EPWP
- Municipalities will receive technical support across all EPWP sectors to optimise the implementation of EPWP. Technical support will be provided in the areas of monitoring and evaluation, training, enterprise development, design and implementation of all municipal projects
- Municipalities will report on the EPWP projects in order to access the EPWP wage incentive
- Municipalities commit to assist in mobilising non-profit organisations to participate in the non-state sector and community works programmes
- NDPW will continue to develop and make available implementation manuals on EPWP.
Proposed way forward from EPWP summit:
- All 283 municipalities will receive their protocols within one week and will be expected to sign the protocols by end of November 2010
- Ministerial engagements will be held with municipalities on the implementation of the EPWP through relevant forums
- Municipalities will be engaged to assist in the mobolisation of non-profit organisations and communities to participate in the implementation of the EPWP
- Municipalities will receive technical support in the identification, design and implementation and reporting on EPWP projects
- Municipalities will receive support in skills and enterprise development NDPW will continue to collaborate with DCOG, SALGA, DBSA and other stakeholders to implement EPWP
- Municipalities will be assisted to develop EPWP policies
- Municipalities will establish EPWP forums at a District level.
- NDPW will continue develop and make available EPWP implementation manuals for Municipalities.
I trust that I speak for all of us gathered in this auditorium when I say that the past three days at this all important Expanded Public Works Summit, has been a road well travelled. It has been a journey of discovery, a journey full of questions and exploration but most importantly, a journey that I believe has led to answers.
I do believe that for those of us whom EPWP was merely a terminology or concept being referred to from a distance, are now confident with their understanding of this critical government poverty and unemployment intervention strategy. I trust that I can now confidently speak of us, through our interactions over the past three days, having recruited and empowered EPWP ambassadors and champions across all municipalities.
Through what I have observed and participated in since Wednesday, I can personally attest to being convinced that indeed we understand and believe in the individual and collective role we play in living true to the motto we shared at the beginning of this summit that government delivers to us, with us and for us.
I thank you.
Source: Department of Public Works
