The 2014/15 State of the Expanded Public Works Programme in South African Cities Report marks the fifth publication in the series of reports produced by the South African Cities Network. Annual publications of this nature ensure reporting continuity that allows for monitoring of the cities’ progress against benchmarks established in previous reports. The EPWP Reference Group provides a consistent platform for the generation of knowledge and sharing of information, experiences and lessons learned, encapsulated in the annual reports.

The report outlines the progress and implementation of the EPWP by the cities over the 2014/15 period. This reporting period corresponds to the first year of Phase III of the EPWP. The report will also summarise the key challenges and features of Phase III, along with a brief summary of the lessons learned from Phase I and Phase II. The report does not include an individual report for the City of Cape Town, as it is no longer a member of SACN (as of 2014).

Employment creation is one of the drivers of economic growth; and with the current economic situation in South Africa, it is important to draw lessons from the annual reports and develop initiatives to create work opportunities through the EPWP. The 2014/15 report along with the previous report, therefore, present the state of EPWP implementation in South African cities, and lessons to be learned in order to maximise the job creation opportunities presented by the EPWP.