Cape Town - The Expanded Public Works (EPWP) second quarter figures show that KwaZulu-Natal created the most number of jobs in the period 1 April - 31 August this year.
The province created a total of 70 231 job opportunities in this period through the EPWP.
This was an 84 percent increase from the previous quarter, according to the Department of Public Works.
The department said that Gauteng had managed to create 44 291 job opportunities, while 36 900 were created in the Eastern Cape during the same period. Mpumalanga, the North West and Northern Cape managed to create 153 work opportunities in this period.
In total, 223 568 work opportunities were created during the period between 1 April and 31 August in the second quarter of the programme. Government has set a target of creating 500 000 job opportunities by the end of the year.
"Special mention needs to be made of KwaZulu-Natal province which has once again had the most number of work opportunities created and reported with a 84 percent increase quarter to quarter," said the department in a statement.
It was also the infrastructure arm of the EPWP which created the most job opportunities during this period, with 149 164 work opportunities being created in this sector.
This was followed by environmental programmes at 29 325, social programmes at 33 973 and non-state programmes at 11 106.
Addressing the media earlier in the day, Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge said government was confident it would reach its target of creating 500 000 work opportunities by the end of the year.
"The overall figures mean that we are on track in achieving set targets and also indicate a spirited increase in work opportunities created in EPWP compliant projects during the second quarter as compared to the 83 900 work opportunities created in the first quarter," said the minister.
The EPWP seeks to draw a significant number of unemployed South Africans into productive work, enabling them to gain skills and increase their capacity to earn income in the future.
