GOOD Press statement by Jonathan Cupido,
GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor
27 May 2023
The GOOD Party welcomes the commitment by the Cape Town Mayor to ensure that the Expanded Public Works Programme is not open to abuse by local politicians.
GOOD took up the matter with Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis after being inundated with complaints from the residents that the same, selected few people keep getting the EPWP work opportunities.
It also appeared that despite concerns raised through City channels, officials seemed hesitant to respond to the residents’ concerns due to political pressure from councillors.
The EPWP is a poverty alleviation programme aimed at providing work opportunities and income support to the poor and unemployed through the labour-intensive delivery of public services.
However, it has become clear that unnecessary deviations from the City’s prescribed process have seen councillors influencing the opportunities and securing work for their own supporters.
In his response to our questions in Council, Hill-Lewis stated that the policy is very clear on the prohibition of councillor involvement in the random selection and recruitment process.
In order to avoid interference, City policy must be strictly managed, and councillors should only have access to the selection lists, via the Subcouncil Manager, for information purposes.
Mayor Hill-Lewis acknowledged and committed to address our concerns raised over the implementation of this policy.
He has therefore agreed to circulate a memorandum to all councillors to remind them that no any interference or involvement in the random selection process of EPWP opportunities os prohibited. This will also be sent to the office of the City Manager.
Furthermore, a Jobseeker Enhancement project is currently in underway. These enhancements will further limit human interference, as the process will be fully automated.
GOOD views this as a victory for the residents of the Cape Town who deserve a fair chance to get work opportunities. The EPWP programme must be realigned to its original intent.
We therefore also call on all residents who have any information or evidence on the abuse of the EPWP process to come forward.
Media Enquiries:
Jonathan Cupido, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor
Cell: 068 541 4888
Email: jonathanc@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD Media Manager
Cell: 073 367 1223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za