Piet says... “By working in the Evaton Renewal Project I have been given skills training and I can now do many things, including paving. I can now afford to feed my children and to pay their school fees. I am so proud to work for the ERP and hope it lasts a long time.” Piet Gamede of Ward Road, Evaton Lizzy Wandala of Renfrew Road, Evaton Lizzy says... “I am very happy about the ERP. Since the project started streets have been fixed and there are now lights in every street. Many people who were unemployed are now working in the projects.” Teboho says... “The Evaton Renewal Project has given me the opportunity to learn to be a ground leveler and operate the machine. This project has changed my life completely. I can now pay my debt and even achieve my goal of having a drivers licence. I am so happy to be working for my community.” Teboho Mohloane of Avondale Road, Evaton

Developing skills and capacity in Evaton through the Evaton Renewal Project is critical to promote the empowerment and self-sufficiency of people in the Evaton community. All the Evaton projects focus on this important priority.

This priority objective also aims to ensure that the people of Evaton benefit directly from the development taking place in their community, both in terms of having access to employment in one of the many projects, as well as being able to access business opportunities for local small, micro and medium business enterprises (SMMEs).

Many of the unemployed people in Evaton have a low level of skills. The Evaton Renewal Project provides training to these people to raise their level of skills to be able to access the jobs being created.

Training and capacity building of SMMEs is also taking place to ensure that small businesses are able to meet the quality standards and technical specifications of the work being required by the main contractors.

A Labour Desk has been set up to create a register of all unemployed people in Evaton. 6210 job-seekers in Evaton are currently registered. People on this database are notified first when employment opportunities arise in any of the development projects.

A Business Desk has been created to allow interested individuals and companies to enter their details onto an Evaton Renewal Project database, to ensure that they are given priority sub-contracting opportunities in the many development projects.

Training and Capacity Building The following skills will be developed in Evaton Building construction skills Road construction skills Business skills and tendering A number of soft skills will also be looked at to develop individuals in their capacity as empowered teams or leaders Self management courses Management courses Change Management Computer skills Administration skills Training Completed: 73 People have been trained in Safety Induction, Traffic Control, Building Kerbs and Roads Construction.

ERP SMME and Job Creation Highlights

Job Creation Scorecard - Success Stories

• SMMES: 9 SMMES have been given contracts in the roads upgrading projects.

• Roads:

• Tshepo Themba School Hall upgrading: A total of 34 local people were employed and a local contractor was contracted to complete its refurbishment.

• Grass cutting project: 140 people were employed and three SMMEs providing truck services also benefited.

• Waste management programme: 140 jobs for field workers were created and two SMMEs are currently contracted for truck services to rollout of the bins.

• The Vegetable Gardening Project: This project has been set up to train people to produce vegetables through biological / organic and hydroponic methods of farming. 100 sustainable jobs were created and one SMME truck owner is also involved. Thirty people were sent to the Agricultural Research Council in Tshwane for specialised training. This project has seen the hydroponics farming of tomatoes getting off the ground, and the distribution of food parcels to various community organisations for needy families. Other organisations that help the poor have benefited from this project, including Katleho School, Polokong Children’s Village and Mosupatstela Centre. More land is being bought to expand the project. The Evaton Renewal Project is currently investigating and sourcing private sector funding to grow and develop this project.

• Security: 18 people have been employed to man the roads project.

• Brick making plant: A brick making project has been designed to generate income for the Evaton Renewal Project. It will create 15 new jobs in Evaton. This project is currently undergoing the government required environmental impact study.

• Interns: Three communications interns were appointed from Evaton to receive communications training and support the communications work in the Evaton Renewal Project. The three young ladies are already making a contribution to Evaton News and the ERP website.

Success Stories

Maggie Mokgatla – an excellent example of the ERP bringing positive change to the lives of people in Evaton.

Empower our women, develop our nation

A local woman says she is an excellent example of the Evaton Renewal Project (ERP) bringing positive change to the lives of ordinary women in the community.

Maggie Mokgatla says she was delighted last year to receive a call from the ERP labour desk informing her that she would be employed at an organic farming project. Mokgatla had registered her details for employment at the Wilberforce community college, when she heard about job opportunities in the ERP. “After being employed, I never looked back because I had not been working for a long time,” she said.

The organic project has taught Mokgatla many skills and has also created other opportunities for her. She now uses the planting knowledge she learned from the project to train her grandchildren. However, in order to be successful in this field, patience and professionalism are required, she warned. “Before you do anything you must plough the soil, fertilise it, and then start planting your crops,” explained Mokgatla. Like anything in life, the job must be done properly from the beginning to achieve the best results.

According to Mokgatla, they plant different types of vegetables, including cabbage, tomato, spinach and potatoes. “We then sell these to members of the community. This project helped me with everything I needed. Today I am able to provide food for my children.” Now that Mokgatla has learnt how to plant vegetables, she no longer buys them from the shop. Instead, she grows them in the small vegetable garden she planted in her backyard, making her even more self sufficient.

EDF Chairperson, Tutu Molefe, said that the vision of the EDF is to combine all Evaton-based food gardening projects to form a Corporative which specialises in different kinds of crops. “As people complete their training in food gardening, they can then work in the cooperative. The cooperative can also attract private sector and government support,” he explained. Molefe added that the ERP has also planned a Farmers’ Market in Moshoeshoe Road that will supply fruit and vegetables to Evaton and neighboring communities.

Local contractor does well

	Patrick Letswamotse successfully renovated the Tshepo Themba Community Hall

The adage that “ Rome wasn't built in a day” has never been so true as for a local contractor who was given the opportunity to prove his skills

by the ERP. Patrick Letswamotse recently finished renovating the Tshepo Themba Community Hall, after being awarded the contract by ERP as part of the local SMME's development in 2003.

Letswamotse started the Letswamotse Civil company after working as a site clerk and foreman for a Johannesburg based construction company. “I have more than 10 years experience in handling construction administration. This helped me acquire many skills and paved the way to start my business,” he explained.

However, he admits that it wasn't easy to start a company without a single client. “Thanks to the Department of Housing and Evaton Renewal Project for recognising small construction companies. I'm lucky to have received a contract with the ERP, and this enabled me employ 34 Evaton residents,” he said. However, although Letswamotse lives in Evaton, he can't employ many people from the area as most of his clients are in Johannesburg .

Apart from running his own business, Letswamotse also helps up and coming contractors with problems and challenges related to business management, tenders and administration. “I think it's only fair to pass my skills on to less experienced contractors, and I hope the ERP will award me another contract so that I can employ more people from Evaton,” he concluded.

Said Head of Department of the Gauteng Department of Housing, Ms Benedicta Monama, “The Department of Housing is committed to ensuring that local contractors are given regular opportunities to be awarded worthwhile contracts within the ERP, thus improving their rating with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB). This is in line with the ERP's commitment to relevant skills and capacity development, and poverty alleviation.

Small farms, big benefit

Velaphi Ndlela, responsible for grading roads in Small Farms, Evaton

Velaphi Ndlela, whose surname means “road”, was unemployed for a long time before being appointed by the ERP to grade roads in the Small Farms area in Evaton. Thus far Ndlela has graded more than six roads identified by ERP in Small Farms. “These roads were not conducive for either motorists or members of the community to travel on. I must say that we've done a great job there,” he said proudly. He added that the grading project was well received by the community. “It's important to prolong this project because people are happy with what we're doing.”

Ndlela admits that this development wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the ERP. “Before this project started many roads were damaged and no one thought of taking care of them. Although it's a short term project, by the end of it many streets will have been vastly improved due to a type of grading that lasts longer. Thanks to the ERP for giving me the opportunity to help the community,” said Ndlela. “This project has also helped me assist residents who were not working before. Today they are able to pay their debts and provide for their families,” he explained.