KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works and Infrastructure Martin Meyer revealed that “sex for jobs” is an ongoing scandal within the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
Image: Facebook/ KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works and Infrastructure
KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has uncovered ongoing allegations of “sex for jobs” within the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), MEC Martin Meyer said.
Meyer revealed the findings following a recent province-wide citizens’ engagement roadshow, where officials met directly with communities. He said concerns about EPWP were consistently raised across all areas visited.
“Some complaints we experienced included participants being made to prove which party they aligned with before being given EPWP opportunities. Others were asked to pay for those jobs. Jobs were given to people who have a relationship with officials, and most shockingly, there was the ongoing scandal of sex for jobs that we still find,” Meyer said.
He said victims are often reluctant to pursue criminal cases despite reporting incidents confidentially to the department.
“The challenge with this is like with any sexual assault or rape case, people are willing to tell us this confidentially, but getting people to open criminal charges, go to a police station, is very, very difficult.
"Because let’s be honest, the most desperate and the poor are being exploited. They then got these jobs, and they’re very scared of losing these jobs, losing what income they have or being victimised by the people in their community.”
Meyer said the department faces difficulties in acting against perpetrators due to the lack of formal complaints, despite being aware of the problem.
“But let me also be very clear. Sex for jobs is a form of sexual abuse, and it’s a form of rape, and it needs the fullest criminal charges to be laid, and people like that should end up in orange uniforms and be a guest of the government in Westville Prison or others,” Meyer said.
In response to the complaints, Meyer said the department launched an EPWP anti-fraud and whistleblower portal on its website, kznworks.gov.za, about a month ago.
“In the first month, we received 18 credible and actionable complaints on this complaint line. These include a lack of transparency in recruitment processes, alleged political interference in recruitment, and operational challenges with certain municipalities that led to two months’ delays in payments,” Meyer said.
He added that while EPWP is intended to address unemployment, provide skills development and promote empowerment, the programme continues to face significant operational and ethical challenges.