EThekwini Municipality is set to receive a R293 million Public Employment Programme (PEP) grant by National Treasury. This will be spent on job creation between December and June 2022.
EThekwini’s programme is projected to create 9 310 full-time jobs by June 2022.
The city was one of eight metropolitan municipalities invited to apply for the funding as part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Package introduced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in October last year. However, the funds were diverted to other Covid-19 relief programmes at the time.
The PEP is expected to make a significant impact on the city’s unemployed as well as stimulate recovery from the impact of Covid-19. The programme’s strategic focus will be on the digital economy, precinct management of commercial and industrial areas, community safety, place making, tourism support, small scale farming, greening and kickstart a sustainable informal sector waste recovery programme.
A programme management structure will be established to prevent abuse and ensure that the funds and the jobs achieve the maximum impact.
Head of the Economic Development Unit Shunnon Tulsiram has been tasked to set up a dedicated Programme Management Office and to oversee the programme implementation.
The employment will be managed through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) payroll administration. All labour specifically employed for the PEP, including project managers, will be employed through the EPWP payroll.
A detailed Implementation Plan outlining all the projects and the proposed project management entities will be approved by the City Manager’s Extended Management Committee.
A digital performance monitoring system will be put in place. Supervisors will upload daily time, attendance and work evidence that can be viewed in real time. In addition, the Programme Management Office will employ a team of field monitors to check on projects after two, four and six months from which an evaluation report will be generated.
The Municipality will receive the full grant via the PEP window of the Neighbourhood Partnership Development Grant of the National Treasury by January 2022. In the interim, the Chief Financial Officer will provide bridging finance for start-up as approved at the last Full Council.
National Treasury has indicated that subject to funds being available and performance in this initial project it aims to extend the PEP in the next three-year budget cycle.
