Johnathan Paoli
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has denied allegations that the Nasi iSpani programme was discontinued and described the reports circulating on social media as baseless, false and malicious.
Lesufi’s response comes after a leaked internal circular from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development meant for the Green Army EPWP participants, informing them that their 1-year contract ended in May.
“We wish to allay all Nasi iSpani beneficiaries’ fears that this groundbreaking initiative is still very much intact. We remain resolute in our endeavour to address the challenge of unemployment in our province,” Lesufi said.
The Premier said the rumours have confused the Gauteng Traffic Wardens, who are responsible for community safety in the province, with the EPWP Green Army who are responsible for waste removal and cleaning up the environment.
He said since its inception, the Nasi iSpani programme had thousands of unemployed Gauteng residents absorbed across government departments on a permanent, temporary and contract basis.
The provincial government has implemented targeted budget re-prioritisation and effectiveness in line with the national treasury recommendations and desired outcomes, including accommodating personnel costs, he said.
“A standardised formula has been adopted for contract extensions for all Nasi’ Ispani programme beneficiaries, including Green Army EPWP beneficiaries”.
The programme was amplified in April this year, with the launch of the iCrush NoLova Jobs and Skills Programme, which offers skills development, training, and meaningful job opportunities in partnership with the department of Labour.
Lesufi said a task team was established at the end of the previous administration to take stock of all the contracts that were coming to an end, and that since being reelected as Premier, a report was presented and adopted on how ending contracts would be managed.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) previously expressed concerns over the inadequate financial support to sustain the programme, with Gauteng Leader of the Official Opposition, Solly Msimanga calling on the Premier to accept the primary role of the government was to create a conducive environment for the private sector to generate sustainable jobs.
“The collapse of Nasi iSpani shows that employment opportunities for the over 2.5 million unemployed Gauteng residents, many of whom are youth, cannot be created through badly planned short-term programmes,” Msimanga said.
ActionSA provincial caucus leader Funzi Ngobeni warned the Premier not to use the desperation of millions of young people for his political ambitions.
“It had become evident that these mass employment schemes were not created with the genuine intention of creating jobs but were the ANC’s electioneering tactics. In a country with an over 60% youth unemployment rate, it is disheartening to see politicians playing fast and loose with the livelihoods of young people,” Ngobeni said.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) provincial chairperson Nonkululeko Dunga called for the creation of a state-owned cleaning, horticulture and landscaping company to provide sustainable and long term jobs and provide the needed services.
Dunga said the state-owned company must collaborate with the relevant municipal departments to address illegal dumping, environment degradation, and the maintenance of public places such as cemeteries and recreational areas.
The EFF has consistently warned society that these initiatives are nothing but a facade to fund the campaign of the ANC in the Province, he said.
“The damning result of this is not only mismanaged public funds, failure to create sustainable jobs to our people and genuinely tackling the severe environment issues in Gauteng, but it has also disastrously failed to prevent the ANC from losing massive electoral support in the province, as the election results indicate,” Dunga said.
He called on the members of the provincial legislature to support a motion for the creation of the state-owned company, and said the EFF demands that an investigation be initiated to hold the Premier and those responsible to account on the corruption and mismanagement of public funds.
INSIDE POLITICS
