Minister Dean Macpherson on violent protests by EPWP workers

24 July 2024

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, believes the ongoing protest action by hundreds of former Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) employees in Ethekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, highlights the urgent reform needed for the program to provide a sustainable pathway to permanent employees. At the same time, the Minister condemns any violence or damage to public property during the protest, particularly as it has halted key municipal service delivery such as the removal of waste which creates a health hazard.

“The EPWP program was always designed to be a short-term program to give recipients work experience and training in order for them to find permanent employment. However, due to the stubbornly high unemployment rate in South Africa, many have grown dependent on the program, having been employed as an EPWP worker for many years,” Minister Macpherson said.

“As mentioned during the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure budget speech last week, it is therefore imperative that the EPWP program be reimagined to become skills outcomes-based which leads to South Africans climbing up the opportunity ladder, rather than being stuck in EPWP for years on end.”

The Minister looks forward to working with all stakeholders in the coming months to lead to better outcomes for recipients nationwide.

“It is possible to build a better more prosperous South Africa but only if all stakeholders work together towards a common vision. As a department, we are committed to working with local government to design better public programs, cut red tape for infrastructure investment and turn the country into a construction site. Let’s build South Africa", said the Minister.

Issued by Thami Mchunu, Director: Media Relations, Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, 25 July 2024