Lesufi’s promise falls flat
In February, the premier’s office hosted an event to hand out employment letters to more than 30 000 unemployed graduates as part of the Nasi Ispani mass recruitment programme in Dobsonville, Soweto.
The crowd roared excitedly when Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi promised thousands of youth permanent employment. But their excitement was short-lived.
In February, the premier’s office hosted an event to hand out employment letters to more than 30 000 unemployed graduates as part of the Nasi Ispani mass recruitment programme in Dobsonville, Soweto.
Lesufi addressed the masses and thanked them for their hard work.
“Many have celebrated the matric results. They thanked teachers, principals, parents and learners. But no one has thanked you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” he said.
The premier went further to promise the young people jobs.
“I called you here today to say to the minister of Social Development, through you, that they must keep their social grants. We will employ these young people to work,” he said.
Lesufi also said there would be an extension of the six-month contracts the youth brigades signed.
“… until the national government explains where they are taking them,” he added.
A promise that the youth brigades held on to.
“Our members have faced challenges with short-term contracts, late renewals, and poor communication. Despite our efforts to communicate with the premier’s office and the education sector via email and phone, we have received no response,” explained Sihle Mzizi, the Gauteng Youth Brigades (GYB) secretary.
On July 12, the GYB held a peaceful march at the Union Buildings to hand over a memorandum of demands to the office of the presidency.
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The GYB, with the help from the uMkhonto Wesizwe Youth League, staged an overnight demonstration on July 31 at the Gauteng Department of Basic Education on Struben Street in Pretoria.
In response, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) released a statement to clarify the status of the contracts for all the GYB candidates.
According to the statement, these contracts were part of a short-term programme and did not constitute permanent job offers.
The initiative, known as the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI), was started by the presidency as part of the Covid-19 relief to schools.
It was funded by the National Treasury and managed by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), among other departments, through provincial departments.
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According to the statement, at the end of September 2023, the national initiative ended as initially scheduled in all provinces.
Subsequently, the GDE entered into new contracts with GYB candidates who still worked in Gauteng public schools for six months (from February to July 2024).
The GDE fulfilled this mandate using its own resources and wishes to clarify that there was no promise to extend these contracts beyond July 2024.
This programme aims to afford the youth, on a rotational basis, an opportunity to earn an income while benefiting from training and gaining experience.
Therefore, the GDE wishes to clarify that this was never meant to be a permanent employment opportunity, and all candidates were duly informed about this. Candidates who protested were addressed several times about this matter, and this was explained thoroughly to them.
