Beyond local economic development? Exploring municipality-supported job creation in a South African city

Figures & data

Figure 1: eThekwini/Durban shares of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa employed (2000–06)

Figure 2: Unemployed (broad definition) as a percentage of South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal and eThekwini/Durban economically active persons (2000–06)

Table 1: Employment-related commitments in the eThekwini IDP

Plan	Response to employment issues
1. Sustain our natural and built environment	No specific mention
2. Economic development and job creation	The goals are ‘strong economic growth and sustainable job creation’ and ‘to halve unemployment and poverty by 2014’ (eThekwini Municipality, 2007a:20). The following programmes are specified:
	1. Develop a strategic plan and scenarios of the City's economy
	2. Stimulate key sectors that promote economic growth and create jobs
	3. Support and grow tourism and related industries
	4. Create an integrated procurement management and monitoring system
	5. Facilitate and promote investment (including mention of a focus on labour-intensive investors)
	6. Develop a logistics platform
	7. Drive the 2010 World Cup soccer event for eThekwini
	8. Create a City/Port partnership
	9. Implement Dube Trade Port Implementation Strategy (mentioning the job creation impact of the project)
	10. Manage informal trade (mention of regulation of public space trading areas and enterprise development services)
	11. Promote and stimulate entrepreneurship
3. Quality living environment	No specific mention
4. Safe, healthy and secure environment	The Zibambele Public Works programme is identified as providing income for poor urban/peri-urban households through provision of work opportunities to maintain public infrastructure
5. Empowering citizens	The Municipality is to encourage improved human capital formation, improve skills provision and enhance the employability of those unemployed. A further role is identified for the Municipality to actively support scarce skills and to encourage development of its staff
6. Promoting cultural diversity	No specific mention
7. Good governance	No specific mention
8. Financial viability and sustainability	No specific mention
Source: Drawn from eThekwini Municipality (2007a).

Table 2: National EPWP categories and proposed fields of activity

Infrastructure	Environment/tourism and culture	Social	Economic
Low-volume roads	Working for water	Early childhood development	Catering
Sidewalks	Working for wetlands	Home/community-based care	Security
Storm-water management	Working for the coast	Food security/nutrition	Uniform manufacturing
Trenching	Domestic waste collection		Municipal building cleaning
Materials supply	Agribusiness		Municipal building refurbishment
Source: Drawn from eThekwini Municipality (2007b).

eThekwini Municipality . 2008c . Local economic data calculated from Global Insight database. Unpublished research note

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eThekwini Municipality . 2007a . Integrated Development Plan 2010 and Beyond. eThekwini Municipality, Durban

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eThekwini Municipality . 2007b . EPWP (Expanded Public Works Programme) Task Group Report. eThekwini Municipality, Durban

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