Question NW2989 to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

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13 November 2017 - NW2989

Profile picture: Mileham, Mr K

Mileham, Mr K to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

1) (a) What number of persons were on the payroll of the (i) national, (ii) Eastern Cape and (iii) Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality Community Works Programme (CWP) for August 2017 and (b) what was the total value in Rand of each payroll; (2) what contractual agreements are in place with CWP workers to ensure delivery on community development targets; (3) what are the details of the processes followed to recruit and select workers for the CWP; (4) what are the details of the (a) processes followed to determine the wards in which the CWP is implemented and (b) wards in the specified metropolitan municipality that the CWP is implemented; (5) what budget was allocated to each specified sphere of government for the CWP (a) in each of the past three financial years and (b) since 1 April 2017?

Reply:

  1. (a) The table below provides the information required as at August 2017

Sphere

Participation Target

Actual Participation

Cumulative Participation (1 April – 30 August 2017)

(b) Total value in rands

(i) National

237 265

212 723

226 879

653 956 252

(ii) Eastern Cape

42 600

42 669

44 314

133 128 086

(ii) Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality

2500

1961

2080

6 243 884

2) All CWP participants sign contracts as part of their initial enrolment in the programme. The process of enrolment, including the signing of contracts by participants, is facilitated by Implementing Agents (IAs) appointed to implement the programme on behalf of the department at each of the CWP sites.

3) Potential participants have to meet three primary criteria before they can be enrolled in the programme: a) They have to be poor; b) They have to be unemployed or under-employed, i.e., employed on a part time basis and being available to work two days a week in the CWP; and c) They have to reside in a ward that has been prioritized by Council for CWP implementation (on the basis of poverty and unemployment levels).

The process of recruiting CWP participants involves a number of stakeholders: i) the IAs are responsible for recruiting participants who meet the criteria outlined above, ii) the Ward Councilors for the designated wards confirm (or otherwise) that the potential participant resides in their ward and indeed, meets the other two criteria and is not better off compared to other potential participants residing in the ward, ii) the Municipal representative on the multi-stakeholder Local Reference Committee (LRC) checks whether the potential participant is registered on the Municipality’s Indigent Register and iv) the LRC which decides on participant prioritization or selection criteria in instances where the number of qualifying potential participants exceeds the target participation rate for the particular site.

In deciding on prioritization or selection criteria, the LRC must adhere to the principles of transparency, fairness and non-discrimination, as outlined in the Recruitment Guidelines for Public Employment Programmes (PEPs) developed by the Department of Public Works’ Expanded Public Works Programme – the coordinating department for all PEPs, including the CWP.

4) (a) During the introductory visit to a new CWP municipality, a presentation

is made to the Municipal Council by the respective provincial CoGTA, IA and DCoG on the CWP - covering its objectives, the various role players, the municipality’s own role in the programme and the initial work opportunity target assigned to the Municipality by DCoG on the basis of the available budget. The Council of the CWP Municipality is then requested to determine the wards that are to be prioritized for roll out in the municipality. This is formalised through a council resolution which also states who the CWP champion in the municipality is going to be. In most instances, on the initial introductory visit, the Council only expresses an “in principle” endorsement of the CWP in their municipality and the desire for the CWP to be rolled out to all their wards. However, a full discussion on the matter is often deferred to a follow-up full sitting of Council where the CWP is further discussed, often without other external stakeholders. In that meeting, the CWP is formally endorsed and a municipal champion named through a council resolution. The outcome of the Council meeting is then communicated to DCoG in writing.

(b) Municipalities (Local and Metropolitan) to which the CWP is introduced are always advised to prioritize those wards where unemployment and poverty levels are highest and where socio-economic conditions are most depressed.

According to the information received from the Province of the Eastern Cape, the CWP in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality is being implemented in the 42 wards listed below:

4, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35, 36, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58,59, 60.

5) The budget allocated to each sphere for the past three financial years since 1 April 2017 (Wage and Non-Wage) is as outlined below:

Sphere

2014/15

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

National

908 613 593

927 569 451

1 191 628 422

1 356 541 631

Eastern Cape CoGTA

191 867 433

166 199 184

168 319 861

224 845 074

Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality

16 540 296

19 352 968

30 935 317

33 065 452

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