Sub-council investigates ‘lazing’ workers

Sub-council 4 in Parow says it will investigate a group of Expanded Public Work Programme (EPWP) workers found “lazing about” and some sleeping while on the job in Parow Valley last week.

At the sub-council meeting on Thursday May 18, Ward 26 councillor Franchesca Walker said a resident had sent her pictures of the group on Wednesday May 17, just after 11am.

She said that when she had arrived in Parow Valley after 1pm, she had found them still there, “some were sleeping”.

“We need clarity on the randomisation of these EPWP jobs. The 16 workers in Parow Valley, were lazing around in the area,” Ms Walker said.

The workers, she said, had been rude and had sworn at her and the resident who had reported their behaviour.

“I introduced myself. They didn’t even acknowledge that. We don’t even know who their supervisor is,” she told sub-council.

Sub-council chairman Chris Jordaan said they were busy investigating the behaviour of the workers.

“It’s no use we give temporary jobs and people don’t appreciate it,” he said.

Earlier, in his chairman’s report, Mr Jordaan said Sub-council 4 had created 290 temporary EPWP jobs.

Ms Walker questioned the behaviour of the group in Parow Valley, saying: “We want people to grow and have an income, but we can’t have people in City of Cape Town uniforms behaving like this,” she said.

At an earlier sub-council meeting, Ms Walker said EPWP workers should be employed from the communities where the work was done, otherwise they would be at risk from unemployed locals. (“Litter problem not in the bag”, Norther News, March 22).

In a statement issued in February, mayor Patricia De Lille said 44 942 EPWP jobs had been created in the 2015/2016 financial year.

“Since 2011, the City has created almost 160 000 EPWP work opportunities, with R555 million being in direct wages to EPWP workers,” she said at the time.