Gauteng EXCO lekgotla unveils plan to drive jobs, housing and safety agenda

By Johnathan Paoli

Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has put young people at the heart of the province’s development agenda, announcing a R50-million skills programme as the flagship outcome of the latest Executive Council (EXCO) Lekgotla.

Announcing the decisions on Tuesday, Lesufi framed the Lekgotla as a turning point in tackling entrenched unemployment, decaying infrastructure, political violence and housing shortages, stressing the launch of “Nasi iSpani Reloaded Second Version”, a major expansion of the provincial government’s employment and training drive.

“This programme is about building state capacity while reducing over-reliance on tenders and contracts that have caused project delays, unfinished work, and costly litigation. By training thousands of young South Africans, we are turning unemployment into empowerment and giving them the tools to actively participate in improving their communities,” he said.

Lesufi described the programme as both an answer to youth joblessness and a way of reducing the state’s dependence on