The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng calls on the MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Vuyiswa Ramakgopa, to initiate a full financial audit of the EPWP Green Army Programme to ascertain how R73 million budget was spent as 6000 workers are now unemployed, service providers not paid for services rendered, and critical projects are in limbo.
This programme, which was part of Gauteng Premier’s Panyaza Lesufi Nasi Ispani initiative, was abruptly halted in November last year due to a lack of funds. The 6000 beneficiaries were left stranded with no source of income and unable to support their families despite being promised full-time employment.
Suppliers and service providers indebted to the department remain unpaid, violating the legally required 30-day payment period and placing small businesses at risk of collapse. The department has been forced to defer essential projects, including infrastructure upgrades and environmental initiatives. Even basic operational costs, such as Microsoft license payments, have been postponed due to the severe financial strain.
This vindicates DA’s claims that Lesufi’s Nasi Ispani was never about sustainable job creation—it was a short-term election ploy designed to create the illusion of employment while draining departmental resources and jeopardising service delivery.
We will also be tabling questions to ascertain whether these 6000 EPWP workers acquired meaningful skills or opportunities from this programme. We want to determine whether they received certifications, training, or career development that would enable them to transition into permanent employment or were merely used as political pawns, discarded as soon as the election season ended.
The Green Army workers are now back in the unemployment queue, with little to no benefit gained from this programme. This was not an investment in the future. It was an expensive, temporary publicity stunt that achieved nothing beyond draining public funds.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would commit to sustainable job creation, focusing on long-term economic opportunities and skills development rather than short-term, politically motivated employment schemes.
The DA will continue to fight for meaningful job creation strategies that uplift people permanently, not temporarily for political gain.