Question NW285 to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
02 April 2024 - NW285
Seitlholo, Mr IS to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
In light of the fact that the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) focuses on skills development and provides temporary work opportunities for the unemployed, what total amount (a) of the allocated EPWP budget has been lost to (i) corruption, (ii) undeserving beneficiaries and (iii) theft and (b) has been recovered and paid back to the State in the past 10 financial years in each case?
Reply:
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
(a) Through the Expanded Public Works Programme Reporting System (EPWP-RS), the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) based on the verifications done with the Department of Public Service and Administration PERSAL system has identified suspicious transactions on the EPWP allocated budgets that may have been lost to corruption, undeserving beneficiaries and theft. In this regard:
- An estimated amount of R13.8 million may have been lost to corruption across the EPWP Sectors and Public Bodies.
- The R13.8 million referenced above in (i) was lost through payments done to underserving beneficiaries/participants benefiting from budgets allocated to the EPWP. These participants are assumed to be underserving participants as they appear as permanent government officials on the PERSAL system.
- Therefore the amount referenced in (ii) can be regarded as money lost through theft.
(b) Although interventions have been made by the DPWI to address the findings related to corruption, payments to underserving beneficiaries and theft in the EPWP, the DPWI does not have records of monies recovered and paid back to the State. However, the DPWI will develop Standard Operating Procedures for outlining practical processes which will be followed to stop payments for cases detected and to recover monies paid to beneficiaries through corruption, payment to underserving beneficiaries and theft in the future.