Hill-Lewis says national govt intends on using Cape Town's implementation of EPWP as a blueprint

CAPE TOWN - Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the national government intends to use Cape Town as the blueprint for the future of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

Hill-Lewis hosted an EPWP listening tour along with Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain on Monday.

The Cape Town leg is part of a nation-wide tour for government to engage with communities about their experiences with the programme.

The mayor said that more than 40,000 work opportunities were created via the EPWP in Cape Town in the last financial year. 

Hill-Lewis said that more than 1,000 EPWP workers have become permanent City of Cape Town employees.

"That really shows that it's not just... Yes, most of it is always designed to be a temporary work programme, but a large portion of those are actually getting skills to get into full-time employment."

Hill-Lewis said that Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson intends to use the city's implementation of the EPWP to re-imagine the programme.