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News24 reports that a significant budget cut in a grant by the Department of Public Works has forced the eThekwini metro to lay off more than 2,800 Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) employees this week.
The government-wide budget cuts – primarily aimed at reducing government deficits and debt levels - have taken a toll on several national departments' programmes. While eThekwini metro has blamed the budget cuts for forcing it to reduce the number of EPWP programme beneficiaries from 4,155 workers to 1,276, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson claims the metro is to blame. The jobs losses in eThekwini will top the agenda in the council meeting on Thursday, with a motion tabled by African People First president Muzi Hlengwa to be discussed to explore solutions to the unemployment problem. Letters were given to the workers in June, but the final confirmation their services were no longer affordable was only communicated in late July. The public works department reduced the programme's funding in eThekwini by R42 million, making the programme "unsustainable", Hlengwa said. Macpherson, whose department is the custodian of the programme, indicated that the issue had not been referred to his office. He commented further: "They've been using ratepayers' money to extend [and fund] the EPWP. They funded more than what we gave them. And so they created unrealistic expectations. We can't be held accountable for that. Only the City should be held accountable for that." Macpherson said he wanted to see the programme being used to upskill workers and not to boost political campaigns.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Soyiso Maliti at News24
- Read too, Northern Cape's cash crunch: Government departments struggle as funds dry up, at News24
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page