EPWP graduates help drive business support in Cape Town
27 May 2026
The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg, recently visited the graduates at the City’s Business Hub who are benefitting from the EPWP Junior Business Advisor Programme.
To strengthen the City’s services while equipping youth for the workplace, the Business Hub introduced the Junior Business Advisor Programme in 2021, where university graduates are trained through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) over a three-year period, gaining practical experience while providing frontline support to businesses making use of the Hub.
The Business Hub, located at the Strand Concourse on the corner of Adderley and Strand Street, serves as the City’s central business helpdesk. It provides a single point of access where entrepreneurs, SMMEs and investors can receive information, be directed to relevant support services, navigate City processes and be assisted with red tape-related enquiries.
The Hub assists clients via walk-in services, email and its call centre, with enquiries captured and tracked. This is so the City can process, refer, track and analyse business support requests more effectively.
The current programme supports 10 EPWP participants, who assist with resolving business enquiries, respond to inbound calls and emails, support enterprise and supplier development workshops, document business processes and assist with the development of standard operating procedures.
In total, the programme has benefitted 28 beneficiaries since its inception, with many participants using it as a springboard into formal employment, entrepreneurship or further education and training pursuits.
‘The EPWP Junior Business Advisor Programme is a strong example of how the City is using EPWP more innovatively. These participants are not only receiving a temporary work opportunity; they are gaining exposure to real business support environments, learning how the City works, assisting entrepreneurs, and developing marketable administrative, advisory and client service skills.
‘This is the kind of EPWP model we want to encourage: one that builds confidence, transfers practical skills and improves participants’ prospects for future employment or entrepreneurship. At the same time, the programme strengthens the City’s ability to support SMMEs, which are vital to inclusive economic growth and job creation,’ said Alderman Twigg.
‘We appreciate the work being done at the Business Hub, under the Economic Growth Directorate, which acts as a one-stop shop where entrepreneurs and SMMEs are able to access the tools and information they need to start and grow their businesses from a single point. This programme is supporting the Hub to train knowledgeable staff who are able to assist the city’s small businesses and ultimately contribute to economic growth,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos.
How to register for EPWP work opportunities
If you would like to be considered for EPWP work opportunities, the only way to do this is to register on the Jobseeker Database at your local sub-council office.
Please bring a copy of your CV, your ID or a valid South African work permit. EPWP beneficiaries are randomly selected from this database.
For more information, contact the EPWP HelpDesk (07:30 to 15:30) on
021 400 9406 or email
epwp.help@capetown.gov.za.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
