COGTA Fires CWP Participants Aged 55 and Above, Netizens Furious

• The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs axed Community Work Programmes (CWP) employees
• A memo of the expulsion revealed that workers aged 55 and above had been told to stop reporting for work
• they will get their last salaries in January 2025, and SA called the Department out for discrimination

With 7 years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist, provided coverage of current affairs, shedding light on critical social infrastructure challenges and unemployment.

KWAZULU-NATAL — The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) fired Community Work Programme (CWP) employees aged 55 and above. They have been told not to come back to work.

COGTA fires CWP workers

@ZANewsFlash shared the memo on his X account. The memo was sent to COGTA's provincial departments, municipalities and stakeholders, informing them that due to National Treasury's budget cuts for the 2024/25 financial year, the Department cannot sustain the programme.

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The Department announced that it would reduce the number of participants in the programme and elected to end the contracts of 55-year-old employees and older. They will receive their final salaries in January and must thus not return to work.

View the tweet:

eThekwini cancelled EPWP

Earlier in the year, the eThekwini Municipality cancelled the Expanded Public Works Programme in July because the city could not afford the R278 million needed to sustain it.

SA cries foul

Netizens accused the Department of discrimination.

Intergalactic Robotic and AI Federation Union Rep said:

"This is ageism. Blatant age discrimination."

Hopeful South African said:

"This is a classical example of ageism. The Commissioner will have a field day with this in a hearing."

Mpiyakhe said:

"This could be challenged in a constitutional court as unfair discrimination."

Carel Pienaar said:

"Maybe if the government allows less looting of funds, these programs could continue."

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Opulence said:

"This is absolutely disgusting! What utter discrimination is this?"

EPWP programme initially extended

Before the EPWP programme was terminated in Durban, Briefly News reported that it was extended in KwaZulu-Natal in May.

The province's former MEC, Sipho Nkosi, said the Department of Public Works aimed to create thousands of jobs there. However, South Africans doubted the programme would be extended.

Source: Briefly News