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News

Gauteng govt receives flak over discontinuation of Nasi iSpani

todayJune 28, 2024 212

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There have been mixed reactions to the discontinuation of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

The furore comes after a leaked memo, reminding the EPWP employees that their contracts came to an end last month, was circulated on social media this week.

The memo also revealed that there would be delays in payments for the workers.

However, Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has confirmed the authenticity of the memo.

He says the lack of a provincial Cabinet has made it difficult for him to attend to certain issues.

Premier Lesufi launched a ‘Nasi iSpani’ programme last year, which was aimed at creating thousands of jobs.

At least 6 000 people were then recruited to assist communities in establishing food gardens and cleaning.

The General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (Giwusa) describes the decision to discontinue the programme as an abuse of power.

Giwusa President, Mametlwe Sebei, says the provincial government has exploited peoples’ desperation for employment.

A number of political parties have also weighed in on the issue at hand, with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng saying the Nasi iSpani project was just an electioneering stunt for the ANC.

The EFF’s Dumisani Baleni says these initiatives are nothing but a facade to fund the struggling campaign of the ANC in the province.

DA Gauteng leader, Solly Msimanga, says the programme is crumbling due to a lack of funding.

“Thousands of Gauteng residents, employed through Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s Nasi iSpani programme, will now face the hardship of unemployment as the poorly planned job programme crumbles due to a lack of funding, as reported by the Departments of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs, Education and Community Safety,” said Msimanga.

He says the DA previously warned the Premier about the lack of funds to sustain the programme.

“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. The DA maintains that while we support short-term employment programmes to help residents gain skills they might not acquire through formal education, it is not the government’s responsibility to create employment opportunities,” he said.

Social media users also voiced their opinions on X on the matter.

 

Written by: Nonhlanhla Harris

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