Fifty-five thousand eight hundred and thirty work opportunities were created during the 2011/12 financial year across all spheres of government in all sectors of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in the North West Province. The milestone was noted by the Provincial Executive Council in its fortnightly meeting held in Mahikeng on Wednesday.

According to the 4th Quarter Report on EPWP Phase 2 for the past financial year tabled by the Executive Council Cluster on Economic and Infrastructure Development over R6,2 billion was spend across departments on 1 554 projects that were implemented.

Twenty seven thousand two hundred and eighty-nine jobs were created by the provincial sphere of government, 17 855 by the national sphere and 10 686 by the municipal sphere of government. Mahikeng Local municipality recently scooped the National Kamoso Award for being the leading municipality in the implementation of EPWP.

MEC for Public Works, Roads and Transport, Raymond Elisha reported through the cluster that the highest wage paid for EPWP in the province was R94 paid to beneficiaries that participated in the infrastructure sector and the lowest was R41 for Social Sector projects.

The infrastructure Sector of the EPWP involved the use of labour intensive construction methods to deliver service in all government -funded infrastructure projects for construction of rural and low volume roads, municipal pipelines, sidewalks, and storm water drains.

In order to sustain interventions to create work opportunities for the unemployed, Exco resolved that all Heads of Departments must ensure that the programme is prioritised to meet its targets, this should include that all senior managers sign performance that integrate EPWP implementation and success.

In urging departments to intensify their effort to create more jobs in the current financial year, Premier Mme Thandi Modise reminded MEC’s that the objective of using labour-intensive methods in all potential government-funded service delivery projects is to create more work opportunities and stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit of the participants.

“This obviously means that those who have acquired skills through training provided should make way for new beneficiaries. Mentorsihp should support our exit strategies to ensure that those who have completed their learnership programmes stand on their own, “stressed Premier Modise.