Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Premier Candidate, Solly Msimanga, has written to the National Minister of Labour, Thulas Nxesi, to seek clarity on whether his department is funding Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s Nasi iSpani Programme.
This follows conflicting utterances by Premier Lesufi on who is funding his job programme. Initially, he told us that the programme was funded by the Gauteng Provincial Government and from different departments. Lately, he claims that this programme is being funded by the National Department of Labour.
This programme was initiated to clamp down on unemployment in the province. However, its implementation raises concerns about where the funding is coming from. This is because the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) does not have sufficient finances to fund this programme and, at the same time, deliver adequate basic services. This means service delivery will continue to suffer as funds are being redirected to this programme. Moreover, this programme is being used as a political ploy to garner votes for the current government.
Furthermore, we are questioning Minister Nxesi about where the money is coming from, considering that the National Treasury issued a cost containment measure calling on all departments to cut their budget expenditures due to the current fiscal challenges experienced by the national government. Does it mean that the minister is going against a directive from the National Treasury? We also want clarity on whether this programme will be extended to the other eight provinces and how much budget is allocated per province.
Should it emerge that the Department of Labour is funding this programme, it will raise concerns about the other eight provinces, which are also battling with unemployment.
We also want to know whether this programme is sustainable so that our people are not sold false hopes. Our residents in the province should not be used as voting fodder for the current government.
Gauteng residents deserve a capable DA government committed to growing the economy by boosting investor confidence to create sustainable job opportunities.