Johannesburg - The Gauteng provincial government said it was investigating allegations of corruption and misconduct by some officials relating to the Nasi iSpani jobs project.
This comes after allegations that people’s CVs were tempered by some officials at the walk-in centres. There were allegations of bribery, and CVs were thrown in the trash. Some of those who applied and felt mistreated took to social media to display their anger.
The Nasi iSpani project is meant to roll out 8000 work opportunities to young people and elevate the province's high unemployment rate. This was part of other projects by the provincial government to make work opportunities available.
Before the project was launched, there had been concerns that the application processes could fall prey to corruption and other forms of misconduct. The EFF had even suggested the process needs to be monitored.
A statement said it was aware that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said he was aware of the messages that were being spread on social media. He said he would investigate and take action.
Lesufi said he wished to reassure all those who applied that all the CVs that were received via the jobs portal and at the 22 walk-in centres would be accounted for.
He said the various departments and entities were currently busy with the capture process. Once this process was completed, each of the applicants would receive a reference number.
‘’We wish to assure all applicants who submitted their applications physically that their information (contact details and jobs they applied for) was captured on the register they completed after submitting their applications. If their CVs cannot be found, we will contact them and ask them to resubmit before the closing date, which is July 14, 2023,’’ Lesufi said.
The statement said the provincial government was concerned over these allegations and would try to resolve them as soon as possible. The project was launched on June 16 and was meant to provide hope for many unemployed youth in Gauteng.
‘’Subsequent to the launch, there have been voice notes and images that seek to discredit the programme. In the voice notes, it is alleged that the CVs of some of the applicants who applied for the advertised vacancies through the Nasi iSpani campaign at some of the 22 walk-in centres were dumped and will not be processed as per the normal recruitment process,’’ the provincial government said.
The Star