A critical evaluation of the Expanded Public Works Programme in the JB Marks Municipality in Potchefstroom

Abstract

The objective of the study is to critically evaluate the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in the JB Marks Municipality in Potchefstroom. Poverty, unemployment and unskilled labour are major development challenges in developing African states. These challenges originate in a fluctuating economy combined with the legacy of the past. The challenges translate into dissatisfaction among the public, as demonstrated by Akinboade, Mokwena, and Kinfack (2014), who further state that this dissatisfaction normally results in public mass action in the form of strikes and protests. The South African government is aware of these challenges and has responded by establishing development programmes such as the EPWP. The EPWP is a short to medium-term initiative which aims to bring about positive social change by offering its beneficiaries an employment opportunity for the period of a year (Phillips, 2004:2). The programme was launched with the aim of alleviating poverty, creating temporary work opportunities and enhancing skills development of disadvantaged people who had previously been excluded from the economy, comprising mostly the youth, women and people with disabilities (Triegaardt, 2006:8). That said, the main objective of the study is to critically evaluate the EPWP in the JB Marks Municipality, Potchefstroom, in view of its objectives towards implementing positive social change in terms of alleviating poverty, creating employment and skills development for the poor by focusing on women, the youth and people with disabilities. An evaluation research design was employed to critically evaluate the EPWP as a transformation process for yielding positive outcomes. The study also followed a judgement-oriented evaluation to determine if EPWP managed to achieve its set objectives. Thus, the study focused on the outcomes of the programme. Data were collected from community members in Potchefstroom who had knowledge about the programme. Data were also collected from the beneficiaries of EPWP with special reference to the set objectives of the EPWP and determining whether outcomes of the programme correlated with the set objectives or not. In doing so, the researcher took into consideration the logical framework approach and systems theory approach to evaluate the programme, while focusing on the goals, purpose, inputs and outputs as well as the impact of the outputs on the inputs. Furthermore, the researcher applied the capability approach and the sustainable livelihood approach to sociologically explain how well the EPWP as a development programme fits into society. Goals were adopted as the objectives of the EPWP. The study was carried out in the JB Marks municipality in Potchefstroom, North West Province, South Africa. The findings indicate that, to some extent, EPWP is achieving its key objective, or goal, of alleviating poverty and creating employment for the poor. However, the programme has not been successful in attaining its purpose of fulfilling skills development needs in the JB Marks municipality, Potchefstroom. The analysis has further indicated that the activities undertaken were not all properly carried out, as beneficiaries were not satisfied with these, including the provision of clothing and tools. However, participants agreed that the implementation of the programme was a good initiative from government, as people were benefiting from the programme, especially the poor. The study concludes with recommendations, for example that beneficiaries’ salaries be increased. Community members must partake in the decision-making process of the programme as well as participate in establishing duration of contracts and the numbers of days according to which their work must be increased.