Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached a soundbite in English by Freddy Sonakile
The DA notes the much-publicised ‘Mahikeng Student City Sod Turning Event’ that took place at the Mmabatho Stadium yesterday. (See picture) The event, raised the hopes of thousands of unemployed young people but left many more hopeless.
The North West Provincial Government is on record saying that the Mahikeng Student City project is going to create more than 10 000 permanent and short-term jobs. However, the event turned out to be a poorly cloned Gauteng ‘Nasi Ispani’ gimmick, where unemployed youth were left to gather at a stadium, listen to various speeches with promises of jobs, and then go back home empty-handed. (See picture)
While the idea of a Student City is brilliant and necessary, however for such a project to thrive, the environment in which the project is built must also be conducive towards attracting more investment. This means that the government must first get the basics right: regular maintenance of roads, a clean town, water, sanitation and electricity supply services and putting a stop to loadshedding.
The Mahikeng Student City is a flagship project of the North West Housing Corporation. An entity that is already unable to generate revenue from its property portfolio. In its Third Quarter Report 2023/24, the entity reported that they are unable to collect rent from tenants and therefore are cannot achieve their targets.
The event enraged young people who had to stand in the sun while the government produced content for its social media pages, because many were unable to even submit their CVs. Others were left hungry because the government catering service provider was unable to supply food or drink. (See picture)
The DA challenges Acting Premier Nono Maloyi to provide details on the project and the 10 000 jobs promised. We will request that he disclose the specifications of the positions, the system he will use to quickly review all the CVs received, when those jobs will commence, what the salary packages will be, etc.
The ANC government is notorious for abusing the unemployed for political gain. With the provincial youth unemployment rate sitting at 63%, this is honestly no time to be playing a political yo-yo with the desperation of unemployed young people.
Acting Premier Maloyi and his cabinet must further publicise the costs of the sod-turning event. Who were the service providers for the event, and which supply chain processes were followed in selecting them?
If there is ever a time for North West youth to come together and vote the ANC out of power, it is now. The DA has a plan to create jobs, which entails ensuring that the environment is conducive to investment, which will automatically create jobs. Last year, the DA government in the Western Cape created 300 000 new jobs, we can do the same in government in North West.