Joburg deploys 135 EPWP workers to fight grime
#KleenaJoburg campaign is being intensified.
Through its waste removal entity Pikitup, the City of Johannesburg has intensified the #KleenaJoburg campaign in the inner-city by deploying 135 Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers to spruce up each and every ward.
The City has the responsibility to respond to the government’s initiative of creating work opportunities as part of the EPWP, which is a nationwide programme covering all spheres of government and state-owned enterprises.
It provides an important avenue for labour absorption and income transfers to poor households in the short- to medium-term. It is also an attempt by the public sector bodies to use expenditure on goods and services to create work opportunities.
According to Smilo Nkosi, the cooperatives coordinator and project manager at Pikitup, the 135 workers are part of cooperatives that were appointed for 12 months with condition that they must appoint 15 workers in a ward on a three-month rotation process, which is in line with the EPWP a condition as prescribed by the legislature.
She said their focus is waste collection, street cleaning, eradication of illegal dumping and the cleaning of high-density areas, including informal settlements.
“This is in addition to our normal three-cycle shift that is deployed in the inner-city from Pikitup employees, who normally do waste collection and street cleaning. The EPWPs are slotted in between the morning and afternoon shifts,” said Nkosi.
She said there is visible improvement, especially where Phakhamani Projects is operating since starting in April.
“I must say, we do see an improvement, especially in their allocated wards. That’s where there is good improvement in terms of the levels of cleanliness.
“We have also seen a very good impact in Ward 123, where we have slotted Mareleto projects, there is a massive difference in levels of cleanliness, including Ward 58 and part of Ward 124, where we deployed a network for spectrum projects,” said Nkosi.
She emphasised the importance of the model used with the deployment of the EPWPs because the workers are employed to work within the areas where they reside. They have a sense of ownership, pride and keeping their area clean.
They even encourage fellow residents to not litter and keep their spaces clean.
