Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), which falls under Nasi Ispani, has failed to transfer accredited skills to our unemployed youth. This means that after completing this short-term programme, our youth do not have a certificate to use to apply for employment opportunities.
Once the programme is completed, our youth go back to the unemployment branches. They have nothing to show to seek employment opportunities in different sectors because they need certificates. Premier Lesufi is failing our youth. This is evident through our unemployment rate, which stands at 33.8%.
Premier Lesufi disclosed this information in a written response to the questions posed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).
In the last five financial years, the Gauteng Department of Community Safety has created 16039 EPWP jobs from the following projects: community patrollers, gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) bridges, floor managers, facility managers, and green door ambassadors. The other work opportunities were 8873 from Gauteng Traffic Warden, bringing the total to 24,912 work opportunities.
According to Premier Lesufi, floor managers and green door ambassadors did not receive accredited training due to budget constraints. Green Door Ambassadors play a crucial role in assisting survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), yet the training they receive is not accredited. This means that they left with no certificate that will allow them to use the valuable skills they have been taught at any other facility that assists survivors of GBV.
While Premier Lesufi proudly touts the success of his Nasi Ispani programme, no budget is provided for accredited training, which is not a tangible solution to curb unemployment.
The DA will engage the Deputy Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology, Mimmy Gondwe MP, to determine how Gauteng can be assisted with accreditation of its skills training offered as part of EPWP.
We will also raise this issue in all portfolio committees to ensure sufficient funding for the EPWP programmes, allowing accredited courses to be offered to participants. This will enable them to leave the programme equipped with the proper skills and a qualification that will help them secure long-term job opportunities.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would, before implementing any EPWP training programmes, first ensure that trainees receive training from accredited service providers. Furthermore, we would put a monitoring system in place to determine exactly how successful the programme would be so that stories of success can be showcased.