Chairperson, the DA noted a massive budget decrease for the Department of Public Works, from R7,8 billion in the 2012-13 financial year to R6,1 billion in the 2013-14 financial year. However, in the current 2013- 14 financial year, the Department of Public Works decreased the budget allocation for the Expanded Public Works Programme.
According to the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, the Expanded Public Works Programme funds increased from R429 million to R1,9 billion in the 2013-14 financial year. The department did not adequately use the EPWP budget. Millions of rands were not actually spent. The increment of funds for the EPWP came as a result of the state of the nation address, which placed them as a vehicle designed to address persistently high levels of unemployment.
The President highlighted the EPWP as a programme that would help to absorb young people. The EPWP is expected to produce 4,5 million job opportunities by the end of 2014. So far, the EPWP has created 2,6 million job opportunities since 2009. The programme must reach an additional 1,8 million in order to reach its target of 4,5 million job opportunities by 2014. The DA is asking if that is possible. Government has only created 2,6 million job opportunities in four years, but wants to tell the nation that it can create 1,8 million job opportunities in one year. The DA cautions that job opportunities are not actually real jobs.
The shifting of goalposts shows that the Department of Public Works admits that it was not going to meet its target. The new target of over 5 million job opportunities is also not going to be achieved. What happened to the labour-intensive jobs that we missed when we were doing our oversight?
The DA also questions whether EPWP jobs are sustainable and whether the people who participated in the EPWP can use the skills acquired to fend for themselves. The DA asks how many people who are graduates of the EPWP have created jobs for themselves and how many are employed by the private sector? [Interjections.] What is the target for the youth to be employed under the EPWP? We would like to know whether the department has changed ... [Interjections.]