DA blames Lesufi for job losses in Nasi iSpani programme collapse

Thousands of Gauteng residents employed through Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s Nasi iSpani programme are now facing unemployment. Reports from the Departments of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs, Education, and Community Safety indicate that the programme has collapsed due to insufficient funding. The Democratic Alliance’s Gauteng Leader of the Official Opposition, Solly Msimanga, has been vocal about the programme’s shortcomings.

In a memo dated 25 June, the Acting Head of the Department for Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environmental Affairs informed Green Army EPWP participants that their contractual agreement ended on 31 May 2024.

The memo also indicated delays in stipend payments for work completed in June due to “administrative and systematic procedures.”

Departmental memos announce terminations

The Department of Education issued a memo on 12 June, reminding Gauteng Youth Brigade programme employees that their contracts would end on 30 June 2024. However, a retraction was issued on 19 June, promising new information regarding the programme before schools reopen. These conflicting communications have added to the confusion and distress among the affected workers.

“Following the release of these memos and outcries from the departments that they do not have the money to continue funding these programmes, Premier Lesufi has come out to deny that Nasi iSpani has collapsed,” stated the official memo.

Furthermore, Lesufi shifted the blame to departmental heads, accusing them of “undermining the authority of the 7th administration.”

Political backlash towards Premier Lesufi and public outcry

The Democratic Alliance (DA) had repeatedly warned Premier Lesufi that the Gauteng Provincial Government lacked adequate funds to sustain the Nasi iSpani programme. The DA’s concerns have now been validated as the programme’s collapse leaves over 2.5 million unemployed residents, many of whom are youth, in dire straits.

“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,” Msimanga stated.

The opposition party criticised the programme as a politically expedient measure lacking long-term sustainability.

Msimanga emphasised, “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. The primary role of the government is to create a conducive environment for the private sector to generate sustainable jobs.”

Calls for accountability and sustainable solutions

The DA demands that Premier Lesufi acknowledge the failure of Nasi iSpani and take Gauteng residents into his confidence. “The people of Gauteng deserve a job creation strategy that is well-planned and budgeted for, not gimmicks,” Msimanga asserted.

The DA also stressed the importance of cutting red tape to enable private-sector investment in the province’s economy.