Local Economic Development: Exploring the Expanded Public Works Programme as an important tool and contributor to the City of Cape Town’s Economic Growth Strategy

Abstract

Through the current space in which it operates within the City of Cape Town (City), the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) is proving to be a key contributor to the City’s Economic Growth Strategy (EGS) and therefore Local Economic Development (LED), despite the challenges that South African municipalities face with regard to their growth and implementation. This article explores the state of the City’s LED by looking at the EPWP’s contribution to the EGS (its main tool for realising local economic development), based on the assumption that the latter is correctly aligned to contribute positively to the goals of a developmental local government. The authors examine the factors that would make the programme a leading contributor to the EGS, by exploring existing research and data within the City’s EPWP Department, as well as a case study consisting of two projects that have been implemented by the programme.