Ndlozi takes jabs at Lesufi as Gauteng gets R8.4bn to train 500,000 youth

EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has criticised Gauteng's Nasi Ispani programme which has been allocated R8.4bn to train almost 500,000 youth in specialised skills before placing them in employment.

The provincial government has a partnership with the employment and labour department to enrol 482,000 youth in skills training and R8.4bn was earmarked for the initiative. The first group of 7,000 applicants received their offer letters on Wednesday at Rhema Bible Church in Randburg. 

Ndlozi was sceptical about the job drive, saying it was an “election gimmick” and would not last.

“Panyaza’s [Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi] programme is the same as those food parcels that come out during elections and disappear after. These are not real jobs; they will vanish postelections. The ANC has no proposition for the future. They don’t know how to create real jobs,” he said. 

The disappointment echoed on social media, where some users expressed their scepticism about the sustainability of the jobs being offered. 

Since Lesufi introduced Nasi Ispani in June last year to address youth unemployment in the province, the initiative attracted criticism from opposition parties but the premier remains unfazed.

“We do this better. Weeks ago, they [youths] were unemployed and frustrated. Today [Wednesday], we handed them skills for digital migration. We remain proud. Our critics can shout as they wish, we move. Less talk, more work,” Lesufi said.

“You can’t get R8.4bn overnight. It takes months, time and resources. So, [employment and labour] minister [Thulas Nxesi], I don’t mind being accused of electioneering. It sounds better than being accused of sleeping and snoring in the office.”

Lesufi said the provincial government was changing lives.

“These thousands of young people were unemployed, had lost hope and felt betrayed and abandoned by democracy. I am proud that the government I am honoured to lead is not making promises but handing over appointment letters to you so you can turn your lives around. We are not talking, we are acting on our words.”

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