Bay metro underspends by R10m on jobs grant money

WHILE about 35% of Nelson Mandela Bay residents are unemployed, it was revealed yesterday that the municipality underspent its Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) budget by R10- million in the last financial year.

This comes as a large number of temporary workers, who were paid through the government's EPWP grant, this week demanded extensions to their contracts and permanent jobs.

The EPWP temporary jobs programme was one of the ANC's flagship projects to lure voters ahead of the national elections.

President Jacob Zuma, in his state of the nation address, said the government would create six million temporary jobs over the next five years through the EPWP grants.

On Wednesday, a number of EPWP workers staged a sit-in at the Lillian Diedericks building, demanding what they claim are five-year contracts promised to them prior to the elections. - Rochelle de Kock