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The Executive Mayor, Cllr Mzwandile Masina says his administration will ensure that Ekurhuleni residents enjoys better economic spin-offs as the Metro is a huge contributor of the provincial and national economies.

Speaking in Germiston recently, at the unveiling of the successful 100 aspirant contractors who have successfully been incorporated under the EPWP Vukuphile Phase 3 Learner Contractor Development programme, the mayor congratulated the contractors.

Masina said the city has increased the number of EPWP Vukuphile Phase 3 Learner Contractor Development Programme from 20 to 100 per intake, in line with his undertaking in the 100 Days programme .

Vuk’uphile is a three-year contractor development programme, which admits aspirant contractors for mentorship into fully fledged contractors.

Phase one and two of the programme saw 20 emerging contractors sharing projects worth R210 million in three years.

Under phase three, the 100 contractors have an allocation of R500 million worth of construction business to share. According to Masina, the ‘Vukuphile programme’ is a systematic agenda to deal with triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment at grassroots-level.

“This approach enables us to leverage our budget spent to stimulate the transfer of skills and empower local communities in a manner that enhances their productive capabilities, to eventually become fully-fledged construction companies,” Masina said.

Jabulile Manana, a 23-year-old graduate contractor said: “I am humbled to be offered this opportunity that needs to be grabbed with both hands. I thank the City of Ekurhuleni for offering me this chance, I was always passionate about construction although I stayed at home for a long time, this opportunity will grant me a platform to put my Civil Engineering knowledge into practise,” Manana said.

Upon the lapsing of the three-year term, the participants will be equipped with adequate administrative, technical, contractual, managerial and entrepreneurial skills that enable them to operate sustainable business entities.

Meanwhile, Ekurhuleni has also committed no less than R12 billion on procurement spent to benefit local entrepreneurs.

“This includes R1 billion per annum on 500 youth owned business; R500 million per annum on black industrialists; R100 million per annum on Grant-in-Aid; and R100 million per annum on bursaries and scholarships,” the mayor said. This, he added, was the beginning of the long trek to economic transfer to the people of Ekurhuleni which is a move aimed at amplifying the government’s Radical Economic Transformation programme.

Issued by Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality