‘Panyaza buying votes’: EFF accuses Lesufi of using job fair to lure voters

The EFF in Gauteng accused premier Panyaza Lesufi and the ANC of using the ‘Nasi iSpani‘ (Jobs Available) job fair to unveil thousands of job opportunities on Youth Day to lure voters ahead of the 2024 general elections.

The Gauteng government said the initiative was a “strategic recruitment drive” to address unemployment and promote access to job opportunities in the province.

Thousands of young, unemployed people formed long snaking queues at different locations where the province hosted the jobs fair, with the hope of being part of the 6 000 that would be selected.

READ: Youth left behind: Reality of SA’s unemployment crisis in 2023

The jobs up for grabs include drivers, receptionists, cleaners, artisans, construction managers, communication officers, health practitioners, agriculture advisors, among others, in a province with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.

The EFF accused Lesufi of using government resources to fund the ANC election campaign for the 2024 general elections.

“The EFF Gauteng notes how the ANC is using government resources, plans to roll out Youth Day programmes where various MECs travel around the province in a desperate attempt to propel the youth to apply for vacancies in Gauteng government departments,” read the statement.

“Instead of administering this process through appropriate channels and institutions, the premier and his MECs saw fit to brand these programmes official programmes of the ruling party.”

The red berets added that the announcement of the government recruitment process to fill vacancies and capacitate government as ANC “Nasi iSpani” programme bordered on corruption and needed to be condemned.

Although the jobs are intended to boost the province’s efforts to decrease youth unemployment, some of the young people who were in the queues hired taxis and buses from nearby provinces such as North West and Limpopo to go to Soweto to apply.

The Citizen visited two of the stations at Pimville Community Hall in Soweto as well as Nasrec, where young people formed long queues as early as 4am.

Dzuvha Temudzani from Limpopo, Thohoyandou, who was at the Pimville hall, said she and others had hired a taxi to try and apply for positions.

“We left home around 1am and we have been here since 6am. We are just hoping they also considered us in this province because there’s nothing back home.

“If one or two of us would get an opportunity, that would be great because it would mean we did not come here for nothing. We are realistic in knowing that not all of us will be hired but you can only try,” Temudzani said.

Pimville resident Jimmy Nyembe said the Youth Day celebrations meant nothing to him as those who fought for freedom died for nothing.

He said the initiative also meant nothing to him as he had been applying for years but had never been lucky.

“I didn’t even know there were going to be people registering for jobs. I don’t have a phone. So most of us here in my community didn’t see or know about this initiative,” he said.

However, another Pimville resident said she was at the hall from 7am to apply for a general worker position.

She said she doesn’t believe that the ANC was using this initiative to lure young people to vote for them in 2024.

“I think this is just a way to create jobs for the youth,” she said Community safety MEC Faith Mazibuko said Gauteng residents would be prioritised for the jobs.

“If you have a Gauteng address and you have the qualifications we want, you’ll be prioritised….” Mazibuko said this was not a once-off thing as they were approaching elections but to fight poverty

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