Pretoria - Job opportunities are a highly sought after commodity in the economic hub of South Africa, but newly appointed MEC for Infrastructure Development, Bheki Nkosi, has a plan to get more people on board the job train.
During his first quarterly media briefing as the MEC for Infrastructure Development, Nkosi on Monday announced the province would create around 150 000 job opportunities by the end of this financial year through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
Nkosi, who was previously with the Roads and Transport Department, said opportunities would be created across all the provincial departments and municipalities.
The MEC said through the EPWP and the National Youth Service, his department would assist the provincial government's efforts to ease the burden of unemployment by providing the necessary skills to the communities where EPWP projects were running.
Nkosi added that concerted efforts were being made to reach out to organisations representing people with disabilities to incorporate them in all the departmental programmes.
With regards to the provincial property management strategy, he said everyone occupying governmental property would have to sign the market-related rental agreement by the end of this financial year.
"This means that the remaining 795 occupants who have not signed the agreement will have to do so by April 2011. We are positive that inherent risks of completeness of rental receivables will only be dealt with appropriately when all tenants have signed lease agreements and are paying market-related rentals," said Nkosi.
His department has resolved to take harsher action against officials engaged in fraudulent and corrupt activities.
