Pretoria – Local community members in Temba, Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria are set to benefit from the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) by getting work-related skills.
Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde officially launched the programme in the area today.
The department is currently implementing community development projects in the area to improve the lives of people as per the EPWP mandate of alleviating poverty through the provision of work opportunities to the unemployed.
The projects that are currently being implemented in the Hammanskraal area include the construction of the Apies River Bridge at a total cost of R1.8 million.
The bridge, which is constructed using the expertise of the South African National Defence Force members, is set to connect Temba community to other parts of the area, to allow access to essential services and to assist 3 000 community members who cross the Apies River on a daily basis.
One of the local community members taking part in the programme, Joel Sithole, 44, a father of three who has been unemployed from three years told BuaNews that he is happy to be part of the programme and gain valuable skills that will make him employable again.
“The skills that I will be gaining here will able me to get a job and support my family,” he said.
Most of the participants in the programme are unemployed young people who do not have work experience but are set to gain experience through the programme.
One of them is Zaphania Kgubung, 19. He passed matric last year and wants to be a builder. “I’m glad that I have been given an opportunity to gain the necessary skills in the building industry,” he said.
Also underway as part of the EPWP is the R3.2 million Hammanskraal pothole project in Nyathela street in Temba.
The project employs 34 labourers from the local community. – BuaNews
