Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / The economic state of South Africa prior to 1994 is linked directly to the political dispensation that was operating under apartheid. Since the advent of the new democratic dispensation, the South African government has developed policies which have focused on poverty alleviation. However, given all the gains (political equality) that have been made, South Africa still remains one of the highest in the world in terms of income inequality. Income inequality is an indicator of how material resources are distributed across society. Within the context of South Africa’s income inequality is largely due to the history of colonialism and. To address this income inequality, the government initiated job creation initiatives in 1995 which was implemented by institutions such as government departments and parastatals such as the nature conservation agency under research. A qualitative methodological framework was used for this study to explore the subjective experiences of the beneficiaries involved in the Expanded Public Works Program within the nature conservation agency. For the purpose of this study purposive sampling was utilised since only specific participants from four specific reserves were selected to participate in this study. The sample for this research study comprised of 24 participants. These participants were selected from each of the 4 selected reserves. Semi-structured interviews were utilised to gain a thorough understanding of the participants’ subjective experiences. Upon completion of these interviews the information was transcribed and analysed using the interpretive phenomenological approach. Before commencement of the study, the necessary ethics approval was obtained from the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee at the University of the Western Cape. Participants’ rights such as anonymity, confidentiality, voluntary participation, and confidentiality were guaranteed throughout the research process.

Despite its economic growth, South Africa continues to face social challenges such as inequality, unemployment and poverty. In response to these challenges, the South African government has instituted a number of intervention strategies which include the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The aim of this research study was to explore the perceptions of stakeholders regarding the contributions made by the EPWP towards alleviating the above mentioned social challenges. Their perceptions about the challenges and opportunities to improve the programme were also explored. An exploratory-descriptive approach rooted within a qualitative paradigm was used in the study and the participants were selected using purposive-convenient sampling method. The sample consisted of fourteen participants of whom four were EPWP managers and ten EPWP beneficiaries. Data was collected through semi-structured interview schedules and analysed using the thematic content analysis. The findings of the study indicated that the Expanded Publics Works Programme (EPWP) is contributing to social development not only of the beneficiaries of the programme, but also of communities in which the EPWP projects are being implemented. The EPWP projects have enabled beneficiaries to earn a salary in the form of stipends, acquire and perfect skills such as plumbing, and to gain work experience. The stipend, though minimum, is helping them meet their basic needs while skills development improve their chances of getting better and more permanent jobs and to be self-employed. However, challenges such as failure to accommodate people living with disabilities and lack of skills training in some of the EPWP projects are curtailing the programme’s effectiveness.

In the context of South African poverty and unemployment, the government implemented various poverty alleviation programmes with the aim of lifting the poorest people out of their worst situation. This research evaluated the EPWP infrastructure sector in Tshwane in trying to understand its effectiveness, sustainability and relevance as a poverty alleviation tool. The study applied a quantitative approach with interspersed with that of qualitative research for statistical information as well as in-depth insight from experts in the field. Data collection was done through document analysis of reports, published papers and structured interviews with experts within the EPWP. The findings revealed that the EPWP is managing to partially meet its objectives; however, it has also shown that the question of its sustainability is still a concern as it only serves limited long term needs. It has shown that its policies replicate that of international practices; however, the implementation part is still a challenge that needs to be addressed. The recommendations were also made to contribute towards the improvement of the infrastructure.

The study is a programme evaluation of the sustainability of the social sector of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to empower women, youth and persons with disabilities as vulnerable groups. The study gives a background to the EPWP program and the problem of poverty in South Africa. The Strengths Perspective and the Social Development Approach are used as theoretical frameworks to underpin the study. These two approaches are appropriate as they focus on the well-being of people and communities. The social development approach emphasises the social and economic well-being of people, and the strengths perspective focuses on the strengths that people possess, and not on their weaknesses. The study describes poverty, providing a basis for its understanding and also contextualising the EPWP as a poverty alleviation strategy. The study continues to discuss the empowerment of women, youth and persons with disabilities on a national and international level, and also as the official targets of the social sector of the EPWP. In the context of applied research, the study utilised programme evaluation to evaluate the sustainability of the social sector of the EPWP to empower women, youth and persons with disabilities. The research question for the study was “how sustainable is the Social Sector of the Expanded Public Works Programme to empower women, youth and persons with disabilities?” In the context of a mixed methods research approach the researcher utilised the triangulation mixed methods research design to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data was collected by means of mailed and hand-delivered questionnaires from officials involved in the implementation of the social sector of the EPWP. Qualitative data was collected through focus group discussions conducted with groups of women and youth as beneficiaries of the social sector of the EPWP. The evaluation revealed that the target to include persons with disabilities as 2% of the participants in the programme was not reached, as no persons with disabilities were registered as beneficiaries of the Home Community Based Care and Early Childhood Development programmes within the EPWP. The findings confirmed that the strengths perspective and the social development approaches are applicable as theoretical frameworks which underpin the social sector of the EPWP. The study also revealed that poverty can be defined and measured using different dimensions, and not only the monetary approach. The study has also shown that Public Works programmes are used in South Africa and globally by policy makers as a strategy to alleviate poverty, and that in some instances they target specific vulnerable groups. In South Africa the official targets are women, youth and persons with disabilities. Women and youth participated in the social sector of the EPWP in Gauteng Province, but the target of including persons with disabilities was not reached. The social sector of the EPWP in Gauteng has made a positive contribution to poverty alleviation, job creation, skills development and empowerment of women and youth. The study also brought to light the fact that although the social sector of the EPWP is under good management, it may not be sustainable in the long term. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2013 / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Thesis (MPA.) --University of Limpopo, 2015 / Refer to the document

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2008 / The study was intended to investigate the impact of EPWP in job creation in the Rambuda area in the Mutale municipality of the Vhembe District in the Limpopo Province. Qualitative methods, which involved focus groups interviews and in-depth individual interviews were used to find out the impact of EPWP in job creation. Rambuda area was selected because the project was implemented in that area. The results revealed that the Rambuda EPWP had created many jobs for a number of jobless people including, males, females and youths. The employees were paid on a task base where they were paid R30.00 per task. The implication of the results was that Rambuda EPWP has had a significant impact in terms of job creation in the area.

Magister Commercii - MCom / Given that poverty has remained one of the biggest challenges facing South Africa, an in-depth understanding of the poverty reduction measures implemented by government is necessary. It is important to understand the efficacy of these social protection programmes as huge amounts of government spending is allocated towards it. This paper analyses the impact of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and social grants as some of the social protection measures implemented by the South African government. Literature reviewed in this paper reveals that these anti-poverty measures have contributed significantly towards the reduction of poverty levels in South Africa. The study analyses each social protection measure and uses the Income and Expenditure Survey data (2010/11) and EPWP phase 1 national data to analyse social grants and EPWP respectively. The income decomposition technique is used to analyse household income and the results of the impact of social grants on poverty are presented using the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke indices. However, only the results of the prevalence of poverty (headcount) are explained in this study. The results show that social grants have significantly reduced poverty levels in areas with high poverty rates such as the Eastern Cape and Limpopo provinces, amongst the African population, in female-headed households, and in rural areas. For EPWP, an estimate of the impact on poverty is done by assessing the number of poor participants who were involved in the programme. Also, the duration of the project is determined and the results indicate that most projects were short lived and did not ensure a consistent provision of income for the participants. Furthermore, the Ordinary Least Squares regression model is used to analyse how expenditure allocation for the programme affects work opportunities produced. Such an investigation is done based on the different sectors in which projects are implemented as well as provincial distributions.

Thesis (M. Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / The research report gives a critical review of the factors that contributed to the nonsustainability of the employment of the beneficiaries of the Expanded Public Works Programme in the Limpopo Province of South Africa with special focus on the Greater Giyani Municipality. The main problem as identified by the researcher is that a large majority of former Expanded Public Works Programme beneficiaries end up being unemployed despite the fact that the government spent money on skills training for them in an effort to equip them with skills so that they can be employable in other sectors of the economy when they exit the programme. The report clarifies the factors that contributed to the beneficiaries not managing to get new employment after exiting the programme. The report also clarifies the roles played by the different stakeholders in the implementation of the programme and this assists in clarifying the origin of the problems that led to the failures of the programme. From the research done the researcher found that skills’ training has not been done in most projects and also that where training was done the skills training was for none accredited courses which were not equipping the beneficiaries to be employable in the job market. The key words in the research are Expanded Public Works Programme, Employability, and Skills training.

In the context of the high unemployment and poverty rates in South Africa, this research was undertaken to explore the best practices of successful international public works programmes (PWPs) around the world. The aim was to develop a strategy for poverty alleviation and job creation with respect to the infrastructure sector of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in South Africa. The purpose of the EPWP is to make the unemployed more employable through offering beneficiaries temporary employment and training opportunities. In the literature review, the strategy for poverty alleviation and job creation was formulated in terms of the design elements and implementation aspects of PWPs. This strategy was then used to evaluate the infrastructure sector of the EPWP. The data collection took the form of interviews with key informants who are directly involved with the infrastructure sector of the EPWP. The nature of the enquiry was qualitative, with narrative and content analysis used to explore the data. The research found that, overall, the design elements and the implementation aspects of the infrastructure sector of the EPWP are not appropriate for enabling the unemployed to become more employable on a large scale. Based on the international best practices, recommendations were then put forward as improvements which would enable the infrastructure sector of the EPWP to achieve its objectives more effectively. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Student Number : 0407355G - MSc research report - School of Architecture and Planning - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / The re-admittance of South Africa into the community of nations brought opportunities and challenges. South Africa had to adapt and conform to the prevailing global economic architecture and adhere to neo-liberal principles prevailing at the time while at home it had to face a restructuring economy and worsening social conditions for a majority of its people: unemployment, housing and infrastructure backlogs. Policies and programmes where devised and adopted. The EPWP and local economic development programmes are just two of the many programmes meant to deal with unemployment, skills development, inequality and poverty. This report investigates the potential of the EPWP as a tool for local economic development by reviewing the theoretical underpinnings of public works and local economic development; and the intergovernmental relations and planning policies, processes, mechanisms, and institutional arrangements in place to enable the programmes’ implementation. Based on the investigation, findings and recommendations are made.