THE executive mayor, Clr Mzwandile Masina, says 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.
He was speaking in Germiston at the unveiling of the successful 100 aspirant contractors, who’ve successfully been incorporated under the EPWP Vuk’uphile Phase 3 Learner Contractor Development programme.
Masina said the city had increased the number of contractors 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.
In phase three, the 100 contractors have an allocation of R500 million 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 added.
Upon the lapsing of the three-year term, the participants will be equipped with adequate administrative, technical, contractual, managerial and entrepreneurial skills to 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 billion per annum on 500 youth owned business; R500 million per annum on black industrialists; R100 million per annum on grants-in-aid – and R100 million per annum on bursaries and scholarships,” the mayor concluded.
Furthermore, this is 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.
