SA Hosts Tanzanian Delegation at EPWP Summit to Deepen Regional Cooperation

This year's CoP event was particularly notable for the participation of a high-level delegation from the United Republic of Tanzania, led by Hon. George Boniface Simbachawene, Minister in the President’s Office.

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) successfully hosted a landmark Community of Practice (CoP) event in 2025, reaffirming South Africa’s commitment to sustainable development, inclusive growth, and regional collaboration through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). This year's CoP event, themed "Transformative Impact of the EPWP through Entrepreneurship and Skills Development," marked a critical turning point in the programme’s evolution, as it welcomed an esteemed international delegation and introduced forward-thinking strategies to elevate its impact in Phase V.

As the EPWP celebrates 20 years of existence, the CoP offered a timely platform for reflection, learning, and innovation. Since its inception in 2004, the EPWP has empowered millions of South Africans by providing temporary work opportunities while fostering pathways to skills acquisition, employability, and entrepreneurship. Now in its fifth phase, the programme is placing increasing emphasis on long-term economic empowerment, with a strategic pivot toward entrepreneurship and skills development as essential "exit pathways" to sustainable livelihoods.

This year's CoP event was particularly notable for the participation of a high-level delegation from the United Republic of Tanzania, led by Hon. George Boniface Simbachawene, Minister in the President’s Office. The Tanzanian delegation comprised senior officials from the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF), National Treasury, and the Department of Public Works, reflecting the country’s deep interest in learning from South Africa’s implementation of large-scale public employment programmes.

The event was officially opened by South Africa’s Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Mr Dean Macpherson, who warmly welcomed the Tanzanian delegation. In his remarks, Minister Macpherson emphasized the importance of intergovernmental and international collaboration, noting that the partnership between South Africa and Tanzania will provide mutual opportunities to share best practices, exchange technical knowledge, and align strategic objectives for poverty alleviation and job creation across the African continent.

“This Community of Practice is not just an event; it is a movement. It symbolizes our shared determination to leave no one behind, to empower our people through work, and to restore dignity through skills and enterprise development,” Minister Macpherson said during his keynote address.

The CoP serves as an interactive knowledge-sharing platform, bringing together a wide array of stakeholders—from government departments, NGOs, and academia, to private sector players, EPWP beneficiaries, and international partners. Its goal is to cultivate a collective, informed, and responsive ecosystem around public employment programmes.

This year’s session was distinguished by several key activities designed to broaden the understanding and visibility of EPWP’s impact:

• Listening tours conducted across all nine provinces to engage directly with communities and participants.
• Development of multimedia storytelling content capturing transformative individual and community narratives.
• Strategic engagement with the private sector to enhance job placement and business incubation opportunities.
• Collaboration with national and local media outlets to amplify success stories and promote public awareness.

The theme, rooted in entrepreneurship and skills development, resonates strongly with the overarching goals of EPWP Phase V. As unemployment and inequality continue to challenge South Africa’s developmental agenda, the CoP emphasized the need to empower EPWP participants not just as workers, but as future entrepreneurs, artisans, and contributors to the local and national economy.

A key highlight of the CoP was a series of panel discussions and workshops focusing on practical implementation strategies, policy innovation, and the role of partnerships. These sessions included input from successful EPWP alumni who have transitioned into sustainable careers or launched their own businesses. Their inspiring stories illustrated the transformative potential of targeted support, training, and mentorship.

In a joint communique, DPWI and TASAF affirmed their commitment to ongoing collaboration and technical exchange. Plans are underway to establish a bilateral working group that will focus on adapting successful models, monitoring programme outcomes, and piloting new initiatives in both countries.

As the event concluded, participants echoed a shared sentiment: that the Community of Practice is not a one-time forum, but a continuing journey—a platform for policy refinement, inclusive dialogue, and collective action.

By harnessing the power of collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and innovative thinking, the EPWP Community of Practice is poised to serve as a catalyst for regional development, empowerment, and resilience. With strengthened ties between South Africa and Tanzania, the vision of inclusive, skills-driven growth is not just a policy goal, but a tangible reality taking shape across communities.