Desperate to cling to power, Lesufi uses jobs as an electioneering tool

30 January 2024

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi is using the unemployment crisis in the province as an electioneering tool by offering jobs to former Umkonto We Sizwe (MK) members ahead of this year’s general elections.

This is another desperate attempt by Lesufi to bolster his party’s chances of being in government for another five years.

At an ANC gathering, Lesufi told his party members that they would be training all former MK veterans to fight crime in the province. The Premier is unwilling to separate party and state in this flagrant attempt to abuse the power of his office for members of his party.

Furthermore, it shows that the current government is not interested in ensuring that all unemployed residents can find employment in the public sector by reserving jobs for card-carrying members of the ruling party.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is deeply concerned about this, as thousands of Community Policing Forum (CPF) members risk their lives daily to protect their communities.

For far too long, the DA has been proposing the implementation of the lottery system to ensure that all jobs initiated by the government are allocated fairly and transparently.

The DA will be tabling questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) to determine the exact criteria being used to recruit people for the Nasi iSpani programme.

Issued by Solly Msimanga, Leader of the Official Opposition-Gauteng, 30 January 2024