Epwp: Creating Towards Cleaner Communities

The community of Square Hill Park in Kimberley couldn’t ask for more as some of them were afforded the opportunity to work in the Expanded Public Works Programme to clean their community. One of the beneficiaries, Rozelle Geldenhuis, who with a glowing face expressed excitement about the project stated that: “This project is helpful to us, as it puts bread on the table, we also are able to meet our household expectations, although it is small it assists.”

The group demonstrated their commitment as they shoveled their way through the weeds in the scorching midday sun. Dressed in orange protective clothing they focus on leaving each and every section where they worked weed-free. On a daily basis the team orchestrate their own music as the sound of shovels; forks and grass cutters each have their own tune. “If we did not have this job, we would only be basking in the sun at home, having nothing to do. This programme allows us to utilise our skills,” said Nicolene Muller another beneficiary of the Sol Plaatje Cleaning Project. The team which was cleaning Stokroos Street worked at a fast pace.

One of the prescripts of the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) is to use labour-intensive methods which allow the drawing of a significant number of participants into the Programme to do the work. The Sol Plaatje Cleaning Project was launched with the aim to create a much cleaner capital city and in the same vein to create work opportunities through governments’ EPWP initiative.

 
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