The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaDukuza today calls on the Internal Audit Department in the municipality to urgently conduct a comprehensive audit of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) for the 2024/25 financial year.
It has come to our attention that there are growing allegations of ghost EPWP beneficiaries and unions allegedly soliciting councillors for EPWP placements in favour of their own politically connected deployees.
We demand that the audit findings be formally tabled before the Executive Committee or Full Council without delay. Transparency is non-negotiable.
We applaud the bold and necessary intervention by Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, to suspend EPWP fund transfers to Matjhabeng Municipality amid allegations of political abuse and inflated salaries.
This move sends a strong signal that the programme cannot be hijacked for personal or political gain at the expense of unemployed South Africans for whom it was intended. KwaDukuza should follow suit.
We cannot allow the ANC to continue using EPWP as an enrichment tool, jobs for favours and a ladder for political patronage.
Any abuse of this programme must be confronted with firm action and the DA in KwaDukuza will continue to advocate for the clean-up and restructuring of the EPWP locally, to ensure our people receive fair access to work opportunities, free from political interference.