January 17, 2007
By Tammy O'Reilly
THE City of Johannesburg has to create about 120 000 jobs by 2009, having adopted the national Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in 2004. And as a subsidiary of the City, the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market is also focusing on employment, in line with the objectives of the Mayor's Office.
This is according to Jacob Sigasa, the human resources manager generalist at the market, who was speaking about the market's employment projects.
In the past couple of years it has implemented two projects that have provided temporary employment and skills training to 59 people. Projects Sebenza and Lebota, run by the market in 2005 and 2006 respectively, contributed R1, 25-million in salaries and valuable training to the temporary employees.
The projects are in line with the national EPWP, which was launched in 2003 by President Thabo Mbeki. It is aimed at creating work opportunities for one million people by 2009 using public sector expenditure.
All the opportunities generated by the EPWP are combined with training, education or skills development, increasing the workers' chances of finding further employment.
The market first appointed a steering committee comprising staff, management and executives to identify its business needs and to oversee the projects.
Project Sebenza
From this emerged Project Sebenza. It was founded in February 2005 and led to 40 new employees doing jobs like sweeping, garden maintenance and housekeeping. Ten of the workers are now permanently employed at the market.
"The law says that each person employed under the EPWP can only be taken on for three months at a time so that more people can access skills. We had to relieve some employees of their positions but we will consider re-employing them if there are more tasks around the market," Sigasa says.
Project Lebota
Project Lebota involved the construction of a wall around the market. It began in August 2006 but was not completed on schedule, so the workers were re-employed under specific instruction until the job is complete.
"We are committed to the national objectives of the Expanded Public Works Programme," Sigasa says.
The City of Johannesburg adopted the policy in 2004 and has been employing people on a contractual basis to complete labour intensive tasks on various projects.
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