Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s Nasi iSpani programme has been categorised as nothing but a “gimmick” to lure unsuspecting voters into voting for the governing party in the province.
ActionSA’s premier candidate Funzi Ngobeni on Thursday said this can be testified by the provincial government’s failure to re-imbursed about the 311 young people employed by the Department of Social Development.
Ngobeni said ActionSA had continuously cautioned Lesufi of resorting to what he called “desperation” of millions of young people for his selfish political ambitions.
“Instead, Premier Lesufi doubled down on his gimmicks with the introduction of new employment schemes like “Green Army”, “Aga le Rona Road workers” and “Sawbona Mhlali” to name just a few.
“It has become evident that these mass employment schemes are not created with the genuine intention to create jobs but are ANC’s electioneering tactics. In a country with over 60% youth unemployment rate, it is disheartening to see politicians playing fast and loose with the livelihoods of young people.
“Just less than a week ago, the Minister of Employment and Labour, Minister Thulas Nxesi announced his own version of Nasi iSpani with a price tag of over R23 billion, called ‘Crush noLova’ a partnership with the Gauteng government,” he added.
The ActionSA Gauteng leader said these attempts showed a clear strategy of the governing party’s strategy of creating millions of short-term mass employment schemes, which he said had become ANC’s nationwide election strategy.
“ActionSA urges the people of Gauteng not to fall for these gimmicks, and to use their vote on the 29th of May to fight back and revenge by removing the ANC from power. ActionSA stands ready to take over and deliver a government that will create much needed jobs.”
The Gauteng government spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga refuted claims that the Nasi iSpani programme was a “gimmick and that it had run out of funds”.
Mhaga said they have noted various media reports that 300 beneficiaries of the Nasi iSpani programme have not been paid since they started working in February 2024 due to funds running out.
“We reject the non-payment story together with allegations that we have run out of funds for the programme.
“The payment schedule is in progress and the first batch of payments was made on Monday, 8 April 2024, the next will be made on Thursday 11 April and all outstanding payments will be completed in two weeks,” he added.
Social Development, Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Mbali Hlophe said communique has been sent to the affected beneficiaries.
“The Nasi iSpani mass recruitment programme, a first of its kind, has been giving people renewed hope since its inception in June 2023. The programme, stems from the provincial government’s strong desire to create meaningful job opportunities.
Some of the job opportunities created under the Nasi iSpani programme include:
* Youth Development Profiling – Profiling of youth within communities to determine interventions for youth development.
* Aga le Rona road workers – Maintenance of the road infrastructure.
* Property maintenance – Clearing, cleaning and maintaining vacant land including government-owned facilities.
* Green Army – Assist communities in establishing food gardens and general environment maintenance.
* Crime Prevention Wardens – Assist law-enforcement agencies with crime prevention.
* Sawubona Mhlali Brigade – Fosters intergovernmental collaboration by promoting joint planning and implementation among government departments as informed by identified needs and household problems.
* Civic Ambassadors (Voter Registration) – Assist communities on voter registration.
* Solar technicians – Preparing a renewable energy skills pipeline through the training of youth in the solar energy sector.
* Gauteng Youth Brigade – Provide general school assistance and teacher assistance services to schools across Gauteng.
According to the MEC the provincial government also reappointed 32,000 young people whose contracts under the education assistants programme had ended.
“They had their contracts extended for an additional six months. Beneficiaries of these programmes receive a monthly stipend that ranges between R4040-R6800.
“In addition to this, the provincial government in partnership with the national departments of Higher Education (DHET) and Employment and Labour (DEL), launched the Crush noLova jobs and skills programme on Saturday April 6, 2024.
“The programme, an extension of Nasi iSpani, seeks to bridge the gap between the skills supply and the demand of the evolving South African job market.”
The Star