Pretoria: Deputy President Paul Mashatile has reaffirmed government’s commitment to scaling up training, accountability and pathways into real economic opportunities for participants in public employment programmes. The Deputy President made this statement while chairing the inaugural meeting of the Public Employment Programmes Inter-Ministerial Committee (PEP-IMC). The committee was established to strengthen coordination, oversight, and impact across the country’s public employment initiatives.
According to South African Government News Agency, Mashatile emphasized the importance of promoting impactful skills development initiatives and long-term work opportunities for participants, who are sourced from the local communities. The committee, chaired by Mashatile and supported by Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson, includes various Ministers tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and related initiatives.
The meeting, conducted virtually, focused on discussing measures to improve the implementation of the EPWP and strengthen collaboration among public employment programmes (PEPs). This is aimed at addressing the challenges of unemployment and poverty within South African communities. The committee emphasized the need for improving recruitment processes, holding public bodies accountable for their performance, and ensuring that training within PEPs leads to permanent employment, entrepreneurship, and sustainable livelihoods.
The PEP-IMC was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa to enhance coordination and ensure that public employment programmes play a more strategic role in advancing social protection, and tackling unemployment and poverty across South Africa.