Cape Town - The Western Cape government marked Workers’ Day with a pledge to create more than 15 000 jobs over the next three financial years.
Infrastructure MEC Tertuis Simmers said that his department would create the jobs by 2026 through various stages of its planned projects.
Simmers said the roads infrastructure branch hoped to create 4 500 jobs a year over the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) 2023/24 to 2025/26, and that in the same period the general infrastructure and public works branch would create 650 jobs a year.
He said the drivers of these jobs in the 2023/24 fiscal year would be projects endorsed by the R4.5 billion transport infrastructure as well as R2.2 billion public works budgets, respectively.
Simmers said: “As the Department of Infrastructure, this is our contribution to the Growth 4 Jobs programme which makes it the priority of this government to see that more jobs are created in the public and private sectors.
“We are intent on an approach to enhance job creation with a focus on quality jobs. Our infrastructure sector has opportunities and through my department we will make sure that the citizens of the Western Cape benefit from these.”
Simmers said that aside from these job creation targets, the department was also keen on the development of future professionals.
He said through its Masakh’iSizwe bursary programme, the department envisions developing a cohort of professionals in transport, engineering, and built environment.
The bursary offers full-time studies towards a degree or diploma in the transport, engineering, and built environment disciplines, including: architecture; construction management; civil engineering and town and regional planning.
A beneficiary of the programme, Thandokazi Nyangiwe, said: “The programme allowed me to further my tertiary studies and complete a BSc degree in construction studies at the University of Cape Town.
“On graduating, I was placed to work in the public works-education infrastructure through the professional development programme (PDP), where I continue to gain work experience.”
Meanwhile, City manager Lungelo Mbandazayo said the City used the day to reflect on the long journey towards establishing fair employment standards for its workers.
He told City workers: “Sometimes you work under difficult circumstances to deliver services and infrastructure to our residents, and this does not go unnoticed.”