User:TokoMasemola

#NasiIspani

Imibuzo Evamisile Yenasi Ispani. 16 June 2023 marks the 47th anniversary of the June 16 Soweto Uprising. And it was definitely a memorable one. Thousands of people came to various centres from all the regions in Gauteng to apply for 8000 jobs advertised by the Gauteng Provincial Government in the Nasi iSpani job campaign. A campaign conceptualized by the ANC in Gauteng. In the words of Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi with the focus being on "Less talk. More work". One of the most impactful campaigns in years. With young people who were desperately looking for jobs, participating in huge numbers. MECs were deployed in every region at dedicated centres in the province. With the online job portal experiencing heavy traffic. The ANC also mobilized its Leagues to do job application drives in various wards. The ANC led Gauteng Provincial Government was also able to bring in network providers such as Vodacom to zero rate the Gauteng government online job portal so that people who are Vodacom subscribers don't have to use airtime to be on the online job portal. It was for the first time in a number of years that young people came out in such huge numbers on Youth day in order to hopefully secure the job opportunities on offer. This also showed how young people are the most affected by unemployment.

Gauteng is a youthful province, with almost 30% (5,8 million) of the country’s youth population residing in the province. Approximately 2,2 million of this population in Gauteng is unemployed. For this reason, the Gauteng Provincial Government commemorated Youth Day by embarking on a recruitment drive in response to high unemployment levels in the province. In that regard, job opportunities will be created by advertising all available funded vacancies within Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) departments and their entities. Since February 2023, the Gauteng Government have recruited and trained 6,000 Crime Prevention Wardens to help in the fight against crime and lawlessness in Gauteng, 6000 members of the green army through the EPWP programme to keep our province clean and we are concluding the recruitment of 6,000 young people to be trained as solar technicians. The is also a realization that much more work still needs to be done as over 2 million young people in the province are unemployed and the 8000 jobs available on June 16 must just be the start of finding real strategies to tackle unemployment.