EPWP workers to lose their jobs in eThekwini

About 9,000 workers who are under the Expanded Public Works Programme will lose their jobs this month as their contracts come to an end. An internal memorandum that was leaked on social media last week announces that all contracts for EPWP employees will end on July 25, 2024. The news came as a shock to the trade union representing eThekwini municipal workers on EPWP contracts in the city.

According to the memo, this decision stems from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works (DPW) reducing a significant portion of the incentive grant that funded the programme. “The total yearly expenditure of the EPWP programme in its current form is R297m. The incentive grant from the DPW was reduced to R18.7m, meaning that eThekwini municipality will have to find savings of R278.3m to sustain the programme in its current form,” reads the document. “Unfortunately, the city manager and CFO have indicated that the municipality does not have the required savings, hence the contracts for all EPWP participants will not be renewed.”

This is the second EPWP project that is under fire under the seventh administration. Last week, Elitsha published a story on the termination of contracts of the Green Army in Gauteng.

‘It is not fair to call us
volunteers of government’

Workers who spoke to Elitsha expressed their disappointment as they had hopes of being permanently employed by now. One worker said, “As a worker, I feel used by the city. I started working in 2017, but we have been told there is no UIF although it is collected every month. We work overtime but don’t get paid for it. I earn R3,000 a month – how do they expect us to care for our families? They call us volunteers of government, it is not fair what they are doing to us.”

She added that the little money they earn is not enough to cater for all their needs, forcing them to borrow from loan sharks. “We have been greatly affected by the news and we are waiting to see if this will continue,” said the 40-year-old woman, who stated that she is at an age where she is no longer employable by the government. “The worst part is that we are not even allowed to go to the department of labour,” she added.

Another worker described the situation as heart-breaking, crushing their high hopes. “We have been pleading for years to be absorbed permanently into the municipality because we do the same jobs as permanent staff. Why are we expected to work for peanuts in the same position while others earn good money?”

This move is likely to affect key service delivery departments like parks, waste, water and sanitation. The EPWP programme workers are dissatisfied with how the non-renewal of their contracts is being handled. Silindile Sokhela, an EPWP employee and the secretary of the Municipal and Allied Trade Union of South Africa (Matusa), revealed that they used to be called every year when the contract was about to expire to discuss the situation with their employer. “What scares us this time is seeing the letter spread on social media, and we, as council employees, have not been told. The work I do is the same as a full-time employee, I work 8 hours, I earn R3,800,” said Sokhela.

She expressed sadness that after working for more than ten years with the hope of full employment, they are now being abandoned. Sokhela accused the employer of being inhumane, noting that some workers over the age of 50 will struggle to find employment elsewhere.

‘EPWP workers have to
be employed permanently’

Matusa eThekwini secretary, Thokozani Maxego said they were shocked to hear the news on social media. He stated that Matusa wants all EPWP workers to be employed permanently. “We have people who have been working here for years. This was done without any proper consultation. The work we do is not part-time, it’s permanent. We clean the streets, collect garbage, work at parks, and do meter readings, but we earn from R3,000. That is not enough – we want more,” said Maxego.

He added that despite all the work they do, they have no benefits, and if any injury is suffered on the job, there is no compensation. “We will fight this battle till the end, we cannot accept this inhumanity,” he said. Maxego announced that they will hold a march next week to hand over their memorandum of grievances to all the involved parties.

eThekwini Municipality did not comment on the matter by the time of publishing.