We would like to know whether the department has changed temporary jobs to decent jobs when extending the target. What happened to municipalities that did not actually comply or utilise conditional grants? The DA is asking how government, through the EPWP, actually employs people.
Why is the EPWP always visible towards election time? Is the EPWP really making a meaningful impact on the unemployment rate? What skills do people really get from EPWP jobs? Can we confidently say that the EPWP changed the lives of the unemployed people forever? I believe the answer is a resounding no.
Go ya ka pego ya Statistics SA ya tshekatsheko ya ba?omi ya kotara ka kotara, tlhokego ya me?omo e namelet?e ka diperesente t?e 25,2. Se se ra gore batho ba 100 000 ba lobile me?omo. Taba ye e tli?a palo ya batho bao ba hlokago me?omo go dimilione t?e 4,6. DA e tla thekga mananeo kamoka ao a tlo go fa bahlaki me?omo ya mmakgonthe. E tla thekga t?welopele ya naga ya ekonomi yeo e golago go hlola me?omo. Rena ba DA re bona lenaneo la rena la kgolo ya diperesente t?e seswai e le lona leo le ka tli?ago diphetogo t?a nnete t?a motheo go fedi?a tlhokego ya me?omo le bodiidi. Re re mmu?o o swanet?e go lwant?ha bohloki, bodiidi le tlhokego ya me?omo ka go godi?a ekonomi le go fa batho ba go ba le bokgoni ma?eleng gore ba hlole me?omo.
DA e re thekgo ya ma?eleng ya baswa go t?wa go mmu?o e ka thu?a gore baswa ba hwet?e me?omo ya nnete yeo e tlo go ba fa bokgoni, tsebo le maitemogelo. DA e lemogile gore borame?omo ba nyaka ba?omi bao ba na go le bokgoni, tsebo le maitemogelo. Bona ba thwala batho bao ka tshepho ya gore ba tla ba thu?a dikgwebong, dikhamphaning - go dira mo?omo ka bokgwari le bokgoni.
DA e re lenaneo la mmu?o la me?omo le swanet?e go hlahla baswa gore ba be le tsebo, bokgoni le maitemogelo. Batho bao ba ?omilego go Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, ba swanet?e go kgona go itirela ge ba e t?wa lenaneong leo. EPWP e swanet?e go ba sediba sa tlhahlo go fa batho tsebo. Re re mmu?o ke mmu?o ka set?haba. Bjale EPWP a e hlole me?omo ya mmakgonthe; a e fedi?e tlhokego ya me?omo; ga re rate go kitimi?a dipalo mola set?haba se sa holege. Rena ba DA re rata go bona EPWP e thwala batho go ya ka tsela ya maleba. Re rata go bona EPWP e t?welapele le ge go se na dikgetho; e thu?a bahlaki ba Afrika Borwa e sa kgetholle go ya ka boleloko bja mokgatlo wa dipolitiki.
DA e re bahlaki bao ba sa ?omego, ke maikarabelo a mmu?o go ba thu?a le go ba fa thekgo ka dinako t?ohle. DA e tshwenywa ke mehuta ya me?omo yeo e fiwago bahlaki lenaneong la EPWP, go swana le go ba topi?a matlapa ge go dirwa tsela. Bao ba hwedit?ego dithentara ga ba na taba le go hlahla ba?omi ba bona - ba nyaka fela go ikhumi?a. Go na le dibaka t?eo mmu?o o ka di ?omi?ago go thwala bahloki; go swana le go tso?olo?a, go hlweki?a le go mpshafat?a dithoto t?a mmu?o. DA e tla thu?a ka go ba lent?u la bao ba hlokago ka dinako kamoka.
Re rata go bont?ha gore seo re se bonego ge re be re t?wet?e ka ntle, re ile ditekodi?i?ong - re hwedit?e e le gore ka nnete batho ba gaborena bao ba thwet?wego mo go EPWP, ga ba fiwe tlhahlo yeo e tsenelet?ego. Bao ba swerego me?omo ba tloge ba dira bonnete bja gore bao ba ?omago go EPWP ga ba humane bokgoni bja go t?wet?a maphelo a bona pele. Mmu?o wa ANC o re o beile pele lenaneo la EPWP eup?a ge re le lebelela ga lena le seo ba se bolelago mo go lona. [Nako e fedile.] Ke a leboga. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)
[According to Statistics SA's Quarterly Labour Force Survey, unemployment has increased by 25,2%. This means 100 000 people have lost their jobs. This brings the number of unemployed people to 4,6 million. The DA will support all the programmes that will create better jobs for the poor. We will support the development of a country that has a growing economy that allows job creation. As the DA, we see our programme that has grown by 8% as the one that will bring basic transformation in order to end unemployment and poverty. We are saying that the government must fight poverty and unemployment by improving the economy and providing finance to those who have the potential to create jobs.
The DA says that the youth financial support from the government can help them to get good jobs that will equip them with skills, knowledge and experience. The DA has realised that employers are in need of workers who have skills, knowledge and experience. They employ those people with the hope that they will assist them in their businesses or companies in order to do the work competently and skillfully.
The DA says that the government's jobs programme must guide the youth on how to obtain knowledge, skills and experience. People who participated in the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, must be independent when they finish the programme. The EPWP must be the fountain of guidance to give people the knowledge and the necessary skills. The government's success depends on the people. Let the EPWP now create better jobs and end unemployment. We do not want quantity while the people do not benefit. As the DA, we want to see the EPWP continuing to employ people through the right channels. We want to see EPWP continuing to employ people even if there are no elections, helping the South African poor without segregating them according to their political party affiliation.
The DA says that it is the responsibility of the government to always help and support the unemployed poor. The DA is concerned about the type of jobs that are given to the poor in the EPWP, such as picking up stones during road construction. Those who are awarded tenders do not care about supervising their employees. Their only concern is to enrich themselves. There are strategies that the government can use to employ the poor, like to restore, clean and renew government's properties. The DA will always be the voice of the poor.
We want to indicate what we observed during the oversight visits. We discovered that most of our people who are working in the EPWP are not given intensive training. Those who are holding senior positions are trying by all means to prevent those working in the EPWP from getting the skills to improve their lives. The ANC-led government has indicated that they have prioritised the EPWP but according to our observation they are not implementing what they are saying. I thank you. [Time expired.]]