Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to chair Inter-Ministerial Committee on Public Employment Programmes and visit community-based furniture-making project at Graskop, Mpumalanga

GRASKOP – Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Friday, 02 October 2015, chair the second sitting of the Public Employment   Programme Inter-Ministerial Committee (PEP-IMC) to be held in Graskop, Thaba Chweu Local Municipality in the Mpumalanga Province.

The meeting will be preceded by a visit by Deputy President Ramaphosa and his delegation to the local Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) Working for Water project that harvests invasive tree species to create eco-furniture for schools across the country. The Graskop project   employs 100 people on a short-term basis and provides participants with skills that enhance their ability to secure long-term employment in appropriate industries.

The income earned by the participants in the eco-furniture project supports a broader community of about 1 300 households. The project is led by the South African National Parks and is administered and funded by the Environmental Affairs Department in partnership with the Department of Public Works.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Public Employment Programmes aims to achieve better synergy between the EPWP and other poverty alleviation, employment, enterprise development and skills development initiatives. The IMC  also champions the importance of public employment opportunities within government and the wider society, given the benefits to the broader society of the social infrastructure and skills development delivered by such projects.

The Committee, comprising 10 Ministers and Directors-General responsible for Public Employment Programmes, is also charged with scaling up government’s public work programmes to achieve the six million work opportunity target by 2019, as mandated by President Jacob Zuma.

The IMC meeting on Friday, 2 October 2015 will receive a progress report on the EPWP’s Phase 3, discuss the road maintenance programme and assess potential areas of expansion for the EPWP.

Members of the media are invited as follows:

Site Visit to the Eco-Furniture factory 

Date: Friday, 02 October 2015

Time: 08h30 - 09h00

Venue: Old Roodewal Sawmil, along R533 road, Thaba Chweu, Graskop, Mpumalanga (GPS Coordinates:  24°57'51.0"S 30°55'23.2"E)

PEP – IMC Meeting (for a Photo Opportunity and recording of opening remarks)

Date: Friday, 02 October 2015

Time: 09h30 for 10h00

Venue: Thaba Chweu Municipal offices, Graskop, Mpumalanga

For accreditation and enquiries: Matome Bopape – 082-318-5251 and Kgomotso Mathuloe – 082-957-3667

For media comments contact Ronnie Mamoepa – 082-990-4853

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria