The executive mayor, Clr Mzwandile Masina said his administration will ensure that Ekurhuleni residents enjoy better economic spin-offs, as the metro is a huge contributor to the provincial and national economies.
Speaking in Germiston recently, at the unveiling of the successful 100 aspirant contractors who’ve successfully been incorporated under the EPWP Vuk’uphile Phase Three Learner Contractor Development Programme, the mayor congratulated the contractors.
Masina said the metro has increased the number of EPWP Vuk’uphile Phase Three Learner Contractor Development Programme participants from 20 to 100 per intake, in line with his undertaking in the 100 Days Programme.
Vuk’uphile is a three-year contractor development programme, which admits aspirant contractors for mentorship towards becoming fully-fledged contractors.
Phase one and two of the programme saw 20 emerging contractors sharing projects worth R210-million in three years.
Under phase three, the 100 contractors have an allocation of R500-m worth of construction business to share.
According to Masina, the Vuk’uphile Programme is a systematic agenda to deal with the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment at grassroots-level.
“This approach enables us to leverage our budget spend to stimulate the transfer of skills and empower local communities, in a manner that enhances their productive capabilities; to eventually become fully-fledged construction companies,” Masina said.
Jabulile Manana, a 23-year-old graduate contractor said: “I’m humbled to be offered this opportunity that needs to be grabbed with both hands.
“I thank the metro for offering me this chance. I was always passionate about construction although I stayed at home for a long time – this opportunity will grant me a platform to put my civil engineering knowledge into practice.”
Upon the lapsing of the three-year term, the participants will be equipped with adequate administrative, technical, contractual, managerial and entrepreneurial skills that enable them to operate sustainable business entities.
Meanwhile, Ekurhuleni has also committed no less than R12-billion on procurement spend, to benefit local entrepreneurs.
“This includes R1-bn per annum on 500 youth-owned businesses; R500-m per annum on black industrialists; R100-m per annum on grant-in-aid; and R100-m per annum on bursaries and scholarships,” the mayor concluded.
This he added, was the beginning of the long trek to economic transfer, to the people of Ekurhuleni – which is a move aimed at amplifying the government’s Radical Economic Transformation Programme.
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