The department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) has decided to extend the contracts of community work programme (CWP) participants aged 55 and older until the end of March.
This comes after the department's initial decision to terminate the contracts of more than 60,000 workers on January 31, citing budget cuts from National Treasury for the 2024/2025 financial year.
After a meeting between Cogta minister Velenkosini Hlabisa and finance minister Enoch Godongwana the department agreed to extend the contracts while exploring “viable and sustainable solutions”.
“It is imperative we take decisive action to protect the integrity of the programme and ensure participants receive the support they deserve,” Hlabisa said.
The CWP, launched in 2008, is a government-funded initiative aimed at providing a safety net for the unemployed by offering regular, low-skilled work opportunities. The opportunities range from road maintenance and home-based care work to planting trees, maintaining food gardens and fixing classrooms.
Hlabisa reiterated government's commitment to safeguarding the programme's gains.
“We are engaged in constructive consultations and will provide regular updates as the department works closely with all relevant stakeholders. Our aim is to address the issue thoughtfully, ensuring a careful balance between financial responsibility and social accountability.”
The department's decision to end the contracts was met with widespread criticism, including from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), which called the move “amoral and unacceptable”. Cosatu had vowed to meet with the department to have the decision reversed.
“This must be rejected with the contempt it deserves by all progressive organisations. If needs be, parliament must intervene to halt it,” said Cosatu parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks.
“Government, led by the ANC, needs to do better and to show the working class who elected it to office that it understands their plight, is responsive and caring. Actions such as this will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of thousands that the nation simply cannot afford.”
TimesLIVE
Cogta extends contracts of community work programme participants aged 55 and older
Image: Freddy Mavunda/Business Day
The department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) has decided to extend the contracts of community work programme (CWP) participants aged 55 and older until the end of March.
This comes after the department's initial decision to terminate the contracts of more than 60,000 workers on January 31, citing budget cuts from National Treasury for the 2024/2025 financial year.
After a meeting between Cogta minister Velenkosini Hlabisa and finance minister Enoch Godongwana the department agreed to extend the contracts while exploring “viable and sustainable solutions”.
“It is imperative we take decisive action to protect the integrity of the programme and ensure participants receive the support they deserve,” Hlabisa said.
The CWP, launched in 2008, is a government-funded initiative aimed at providing a safety net for the unemployed by offering regular, low-skilled work opportunities. The opportunities range from road maintenance and home-based care work to planting trees, maintaining food gardens and fixing classrooms.
Hlabisa reiterated government's commitment to safeguarding the programme's gains.
“We are engaged in constructive consultations and will provide regular updates as the department works closely with all relevant stakeholders. Our aim is to address the issue thoughtfully, ensuring a careful balance between financial responsibility and social accountability.”
The department's decision to end the contracts was met with widespread criticism, including from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), which called the move “amoral and unacceptable”. Cosatu had vowed to meet with the department to have the decision reversed.
“This must be rejected with the contempt it deserves by all progressive organisations. If needs be, parliament must intervene to halt it,” said Cosatu parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks.
“Government, led by the ANC, needs to do better and to show the working class who elected it to office that it understands their plight, is responsive and caring. Actions such as this will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of thousands that the nation simply cannot afford.”
TimesLIVE
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