Zuko Komisa

Gauteng is set to relaunch its Nasi Ispani jobs program in June, aiming to create 32,000 Assistant Teacher positions.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi announced the initiative on Thursday, emphasizing its focus on youth employment and bolstering the education sector.
Lesufi addressed criticisms from opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance (DA) and ActionSA, who have questioned the mass recruitment program since its initial 2023 launch and characterized it as a political maneuver ahead of the 2024 elections.
“We’re not doing it for political mileage, we’re doing it to fight unemployment,” Lesufi stated.
He highlighted the dual benefit of addressing both unemployment and provincial infrastructure needs, stating that unemployed youth can be trained to “do the work and pay them” to fix issues like “incomplete buildings, traffic lights that have gone down, roads that are not maintained, you’ve got grass that is not cut.”
This “next round of Nasi Ispani” will also expand skills training to include trades like welding, plumbing, and electrical work, with a focus on partnering with TVET colleges. Lesufi noted a significant demand for such training among the province’s unemployed.
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