Government takes action on Community Work Programme amid national minimum wage demands

The government is reviewing its public employment initiatives, such as the Community Work Programme (CWP), as employees are demanding to be paid in terms of the national minimum wage.

This has emerged from communication sent by the Department of Cooperative Governance director-general Mbulelo Tshangana, earlier this month in response to demands for the national minimum wage to be implemented in the CWP.

“The department (Cooperative Governance) is part of discussions that are led by the Department of Employment and Labour about the future of public employment programmes, which are funded through the national fiscus.

“The issue of minimum wage forms part of that review and outcomes will be communicated once such processes have been concluded,” he told CWP management, staff at site, district and provincial level, participants and financial administrators in a circular dated May 9.

After Tshangana approved adjustments of between 5% and 7% effective from last month, stipends for participants are set at R120 a day, while supervisors receive R144 daily.

Site administrators, safety officers, district managers, financial administrators, and provincial managers can be paid between R315 and R1,500 a day. The national minimum wage is nearly double the stipend paid to each CWP participant at about R29 an hour (or R230 a day).

According to the Department of Employment and Labour, workers employed in another public employment initiative, the Expanded Public Works Programme, are entitled to a minimum wage of just under R16 an hour.

Delivering the Budget on Wednesday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana allocated the CWP R10.3 billion, of which an estimated 70% (or R7.2bn) is set aside for participants’ stipends and the remainder for items such as tools and materials, protective clothing, training, professional services, and programme overheads.

The Department of Cooperative Governance plans to maintain the number of CWP participants in the programme at 178,860 over the next three financial years.

The CWP was set up to foster social and economic inclusion by providing individuals with a source of income in targeted high-unemployment areas.

It also offers participants valuable work experience, which the government hoped could significantly increase their access to broader career opportunities when they exit the programme.

Earlier this year, participants aged 60 years and above were informed that their contracts were extended for a period of four months last month to the end of July and will not be renewed.

“The last payment will therefore be (on) August 25, 2025. All participants reaching an age of 60 years will be automatically exited from the programme as from August 1, 2025, in compliance with CWP implementation policy,” Tshangana reminded them.

loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za