The timing and place was right as the 'Communication Team' spotted a group of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) participants whilst on the job. It was on Tuesday 4 December 2018 at about 8:00 as the ‘Communication Team’ was heading to the 2018 Parliament for Persons with Disabilities event that was held at the Richards Bay Indoor Centre. This was quite an exciting experience to witness a group of approximately six women and three men geared in their branded ‘EPWP’ outfit whilst busy on the job. The participants were building a perimeter wall of a construction project closest to the Premier Proteas & Resorts accommodation building in Richards Bay.
Instinctively, it was befitting to stop the vehicle and have a little chat with them. The participants were positively and astonishingly appreciative of how the outside world view their role as frontiers of change in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. Notwithstanding the fact that they are employed by the Umhlathuze Municipality, the reality is that they are and remain EPWP beneficiaries – a programme coordinated and managed by the KZN Public Works. If you happen to attend the Department’s annual KAMOSO Awards, you are in a better position to understand and comprehend the context of this piece. Just imagine how their lives have changed since they were part of the programme. Equally so, imagine how EPWP has influenced their individual skilling and its overwhelming contribution towards community development – particularly in this case, for the community of Umhlathuze and surrounding areas.
