The Department of Public Works has initiated various programmes aimed at contributing to economic development while pushing back the frontiers of poverty. All these programmes demonstrate the commitment of the department to deliver on its mandate while empowering priority groups namely youth, women and people living with disabilities.
Our mandate
The mandate of the department is listed as:
• The acquisition of public buildings and land
• The construction of public buildings, involving the physical erection or major improvement in respect of infrastructure in the building environment
• The maintenance of public buildings and land, including performing the necessary work to keep the required level of operation
• The alienation of public buildings and land, including the disposal of fixed assets by selling, demolition, exchanging and donation
Mission
To lead infrastructure development and property management in KwaZulu-Natal.
Vision
To create a thriving economy through infrastructure development and property management.
Programmes
Expanded Public Works Programme
The Department of Public Works has infused the guidelines of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) into all of its projects to increase labour absorption. To date, the department has surpassed all EPWP employment- creation targets for the benefit of people living below the poverty line. The skills people have obtained through these jobs have enabled many of them to start their own sustainable businesses. The programme also reduces the backlog in terms of service delivery. The department will continue the expansion of the EPWP through construction-related projects of varying sizes.
National Youth Service
The National Youth Service is a sub-programme of the infrastructure sector of the EPWP that focuses on maintaining government facilities. Targeted groups are sent on an accredited skills programme consisting of four months of theory and eight months of practical participation on a construction site. At the end of their involvement on the construction site they are capacitated on business entrepreneurial skills.
Masakhe Emerging Contractor Development Programme
One of the top priorities of the department is the Masakhe Emerging Contractor Development Programme (ECDP), which is aimed at developing the entrepreneurial skills of contractors by creating a protected environment for them while facilitating skills development. The department works closely with contractors until they are able to cope on their own. The target market for this programme includes:
• Unemployed women and youth with formal qualifications
• Experienced women and youth with no formal qualifications
• Interested women and youth who have proof to indicate interest
Training, which is carried out in partnership with the private sector, includes propertymanagement- related matters, life skills, business management and entrepreneurial skills.
Bursary and internship programmes
The department offers bursary and internship programmes that pay for tuition and accommodation. The department has awarded bursaries to 43 students, who specialise in engineering, construction project management, architecture, quantity surveying and property valuation. The bursaries are awarded to students who have passed their first year at a tertiary institution. Learners who obtain excellent matric results in science and mathematics also benefit. Youth from previously disadvantaged communities are the main beneficiaries of these programmes. Ten of these students are from rural areas.
Provincial and district contractor forums
Provincial and district contractor forums have been established for the purpose of strengthening consultative processes and dissemination of information on business opportunities. This is a very effective platform for contractors to discuss issues affecting day-to-day business activities and challenges.
Izandla Ziyagezana
The government is trying by all means to use labour-absorbing methods in its projects with the purpose of creating as many jobs as possible for the people. Partly to this end, the department has initiated a programme called Izandla Ziyagezana. This programme focuses on the clearance of provincially owned vacant sites. It will also benefit the unemployed youth, as they will be selected through community structures to participate in this programme.
Property Incubator Programme
The Property Incubator Programme seeks to identify, develop and mentor youth and women in the property business. The project has the following key objectives:
• To facilitate the process of skills transfer from the emerged to the emerging markets in the
property sector
• To provide a platform for the development of a holistic approach to the property industry
• To contribute to the generation of skills within the property sector
The process involves the capacity-building of selected individuals in various aspects of property management, including facilities management, property inspection and assessment and the acquisition and disposal of land.
All these endeavours are in keeping with the spirit of the Property Transformation Charter, which embodies the property sector’s commitment to achieving substantial change in the racial and gender composition of ownership, control and management in the sector.
Fixed-assets register
The KwaZulu-Natal Land Administration Act (2003) mandates the MEC for Public Works in KwaZulu-Natal to keep a register of all fixed assets in the province. The department has therefore acquired a fixed-assets register for the Professional Real Estate Management Information System (PREMIS).
The first phase was the population of PREMIS with available information. The system is continually updated. PREMIS is used for payment of property rates to deal with hiring, lettings, acquisitions and disposals.
CONTACT DETAILS
Key personnel
Maggie Govender, MEC for the Department of Public Works
Wayne Broughton, Head of Ministry
Dr FB Madlopha, Head of Department
Tel: +27 33 355 5562
Fax: +27 33 355 5683
Email: Head.Works@kznworks.gov.za
Physical address: 191 Prince Alfred Street, Pietermaritzburg 3201
Postal address: Private Bag X9041, Pietermaritzburg 3200
Website: www.kznworks.gov.za
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