News24 reports that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi's much-publicised Nasi Ispani job recruitment programme received a record 1.2 million applications for 8,000 job vacancies across Gauteng government departments.
Lesufi said the staggering figure symbolised the chronic picture of unemployment facing young people in the country's economic hub. The Nasi Ispani recruitment drive started on 16 June and saw long lines of young people with CVs eager to apply for jobs at community centres. Lesufi branded the initiative as part of solving the unemployment problem in the province and used public platforms, including his Twitter page, to encourage applications. "For the 8,000 posts advertised, 1.2 million applications were received – 44% from males and 55% from females, and the other percentage did not declare their gender," Lesufi reported. The premier advised that there would be no other recruitment drives as promised because of the volume of applications. Lesufi previously indicated that more jobs would be advertised until July 2024. An unemployment database utilising the 1.2 million applicants would be used instead for the new vacancies. The programme has been widely criticised by opposition political parties who said it was just another initiative to give the ANC an electoral boost ahead of the 2024 elections. Lesufi defended the programme on Friday at a press briefing and said the vacancies were genuine jobs available in the province that had yet to be filled.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zintle Mahlati at News24
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