Leading up to the City of Cape Town’s 2022 Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) Awards scheduled for 1 June 2022, Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg, officially opened the EPWP Showcase Week at the Cape Town Civic Centre, which will be held from Monday 23 to Friday 27 May 2022. Various City departments will showcase their EPWP projects while the EPWP Centralised Office will assist jobseekers to register on the City’s Jobseekers Database.

Several City departments will display their work and be available to speak with visitors.  The EPWP Entrepreneurship Trainee Programme, where 24 entrepreneurs will display their goods and services, will also be featured by the EPWP and CDW departments.

‘Various communities are currently experiencing unemployment and poverty. As a City, we are making every effort to help respond to these challenges within our means and mandate. The EPWP short-term job opportunities is one such example and this advocacy drive is a platform for unemployed jobseekers to register on the City’s Jobseeker’s Database. It is also an opportunity for the public to see the kinds of projects that have been implemented and the value that the EPWP programme adds overall to providing services to our communities. The showcase will start from 09:30 until 15:00 daily,’ said Alderman Twigg.

The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) is a national government initiative that is aimed at giving unemployed South Africans the opportunity, through temporary jobs to earn an income and to acquire skills that could make them more employable. 

The City has created more than 34 306 work opportunities in the last financial year.  These work opportunities are created through both direct and indirect employment methods. Direct employment opportunities are created when the City contracts directly with EPWP workers, while indirect employment opportunities are created through the City’s service providers or contractors. 

‘The EPWP is extremely empowering.  Not only does it give candidates an opportunity to gain work experience, but also allows candidates to gain skills through our accredited skills programme that can assist in finding employment going forward.  I also want to take this opportunity to encourage jobseekers to register or update their details at the Subcouncil Offices nearest to their homes if they are not able to attend the showcase,’ said Alderman Twigg.

What to know about EPWP registration:

• Visit your local subcouncil to register your name with the Jobseekers Database
• It is absolutely free. The City would never ask community members to pay for work opportunities, or pay to apply for a work opportunity.
• For more information, contact the EPWP HelpDesk on 021 444 0032 or email: Epwp.Help@capetown.gov.za   

Source: City Of Cape Town