I agree, like Roux Shabangu, whom we dealt with, exactly by working closely with a big bank, for instance. We need to apologise, not only for the public sector, but also for the private sector, and you are silent when dealing with corruption in the private sector. [Applause.]
Minister, what we have done as of April is to set up, in line with what was required, an autonomous, separate PMTE within the department - not outside of it, like a free-floating entity - and we have ring-fenced the functions that deal with this property management, so that its account and the main account of the department are separated. These are interim measures as we move forward in developing our clear public, social, green-friendly and well-oriented policy with regard to the public management function of property.
Another area where we are beginning to shift from internal firefighting towards assuming forward-looking responsibility for our strategic responsibilities is in the area of legislation. Again, we are picking up on a long-delayed matter. The second subclause in the property clause of the Bill of Rights reads:
Property may be expropriated only in terms of law of general application ... for a public purpose or in the public interest.
As we speak, there is no such legislated law of general application outlining an administratively just process in cases of expropriation. So this portfolio committee that we are speaking to today has a historic responsibility later this year finally to pilot a constitutionally compliant and constitutionally required Expropriation Act through Parliament. As the Minister said, we are sure that we will enjoy the support of our fellow freedom fighters of the past in the DA. [Laughter.]
Earlier this year, there was an international workshop on what we call the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, and what is internationally often called public employment programmes. It was jointly hosted by the University of Cape Town and the UN's International Labour Organisation, ILO. It took place here in Cape Town and the Department of Public Works was a very active participant in the process. I am not sure if South Africans really appreciate the extent to which many countries around the world are now facing very serious unemployment problems, as of course, we do, as a result of, shall I call it "an economic global crisis" or "a capitalist economic crisis." [Laughter.] Anyway, it is the same thing. Many of them are facing this crisis and are extremely interested in our EPWP, and particularly the sheer scale of what we are doing in South Africa - which is on a very significant scale - as well as the multisectoral character and innovative approach, not least in terms of the environmental protection and sustainability that we have pioneered here in South Africa.
When the EPWP was first started, I think the belief was that it would be of short duration, a kind of temporary thing, as the economy was supposed to grow. Alas, we now know that we had growth, until obviously the global economic crisis hit us. It was not spectacular growth, but growth that was beginning to touch 5%. However, the unemployment crisis has remained obdurately and stubbornly present, and it's deeply systemic. Even the National Development Plan - not the summarised version ... [Interjections.] Exactly, not the Power Point version of it, but the 484 pages of the expanded ... [Interjections.] Not the one that you just selectively nit- pick from here and there.
The NDP envisages some 430 000 expanded public works participants by the year 2030 on its best and most optimistic assumption and a growth projection of some 5,4%. In the NDP, if growth is sustained at 4,8%, which might also be optimistic given the challenges that we have, it would rise to 2,6 million participants just in one year, 2030. Interestingly, that is the NDP's own vision with regard to centrality, importance and ongoing importance. Alas, because of the massive systemic challenges that we have with regard to unemployment, these EPWPs are central to our country and addressing these huge challenges.
As the Minister mentioned, in this 2013-14 financial year, we are committed to increasing the participating numbers. This will be achieved, amongst other things, through working very closely with provincial roads departments to ensure that there is increased labour intensity on projects. This is another area that is gained and is manipulated. There are grants of one kind or another, but private contractors are very reluctant to employ labour-intensive methods. That is something we really have to insist on through a number of channels, to ensure that we are not spending money on EPWP but in fact the participants are simply sweeping a floor or sitting under a tree and are not actively employed, learning and acquiring skills.
The particular key intervention in order to massify this project, in the light of our unemployment crisis, is increased technical support to municipalities to ensure that projects are designed and implemented labour intensively. We are going to extend this kind of support to at least 255 municipalities, particularly to the 23 most challenged districts. [Interjections.]
We are also focusing on the National Youth Service, and the department itself will be employing 3 500 young people in this financial year in terms of the National Youth Service.