Jobs creation beats target

The government is adamant that it will create 4.5million job opportunities in the next three years through its multibillion-rand jobs creation and poverty alleviation programme.

This is despite recently released statistics that show that the number of unemployed people was little changed between the first and second quarters of this year.

Unemployment, at 4.3million, is one of post-apartheid South Africa's biggest concerns. But Public Works Minister Jeff Doidge was yesterday confident that the government's jobs creation and poverty alleviation targets can be achieved.

The R20-billion Expanded Public Works Programme was launched in April 2004 to promote economic growth and sustainable development.

Speaking at the first summit meeting of the programme in Durban yesterday, Doidge said Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan had announced an increased budget of more than R4-billion for the implementation of phase two of the programme.

He said the programme had created 193001 job opportunities in the first quarter of the 2010-2011 financial year - 30% of the target for that year of 642000.

Municipalities contributed 52911 work opportunities, which equated to 29% of the first-quarter figures.

Of the 52 district municipalities, only 30 (57%) reported, and of the 231 local municipalities only 43 (18%) reported to the Expanded Public Works Programme.

Job opportunities created by the programme in the first quarter of this financial year included 120000 in the infrastructure sector, 30919 in the environmental and culture sectors, 13439 in the social sector, 23086 in the community works programme and 4777 in other areas.

Doidge said these figures proved that the programme was of significant help in the government's efforts to reduce unemployment and poverty.

He said the most work opportunities had been created in KwaZulu-Natal, followed by Eastern Cape and Gauteng, which had all exceeded their first-quarter employment-creation targets.

But he said the figures indicated that more work still needed to be done in Northern Cape, Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga.

The three-day summit was intended to ensure that the 283 municipalities placed the Expanded Public Works Programme at the centre of their efforts to create work opportunities.