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By STAFF REPORTER
North West Provincial Government has allegedly spent R114 million for 43 students that were enrolled for a three-year apprenticeship program at Denel. According to reports, the apprenticeship program that was sponsored by the Ikatisong School of Governance was supposed to cost the government only R5 million for students to complete their practical.
Selected students were studying different courses such as aircraft mechanics, fitter and turner, electricity and welding with Denel in 2018 and would have completed their respective qualifications by the end of this year. However, the Denel Training Academy withdrew its partnership after non-payment from the provincial government, and these left students in limbo.
Now, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for students as the North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee chairperson on Premier, Finance, Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement, and Traditional Affairs, Aaron Mocwana instructed the North West Premier, Prof Job Mokgoro to convene a meeting with affected students and come up with proper timeframes on how and when they are going to pay Denel to resuscitate the program and ensure that the students get what they deserve.
“The committee learned of the plight of the students who complained to the media that the Office of the Premier has withdrawn its support to their scholarship program without giving them a reasonable explanation and as a result. They have also not been able to access the COVID19 grant to unemployed people because they are still registered as receiving stipend though it has been stopped.
“We harshly condemned the department on how the matter has been handled and rebuked the Premier’s Office for being casual about the plight of the poor and impoverished students. As the committee, we refuse to accept the mute excuses advanced by the administration in trying to explain why their incompetence and distasteful dereliction of duties,” said Mocwana.
He said the committee was angered by the fact that the two programs i.e. Youth Entrepreneurial Services and Ikatisong were under-performing and that was revealed during the department’s appearance for the 4th Quarter Performance report.
Mocwana gave Mokgoro unconditional terms to institute disciplinary actions against officials that may be implicated in depriving and compromising the youth of the North West an opportunity to acquire education and skills that would empower them to enter the job market in line with the NDP 2030.
Mokgoro admitted that Denel Training Academy withdrew from the partnership after non-payment on the project and immediately suspended the learners’ studies and their stipends.
“The selected learners were placed on apprenticeship program at the academy in Kempton Park and they signed a party-to-party contract with the Office of the Premier in January 2018 and went for their practices in 2019 in different companies,” he said.
On 17 January 2020, students received a letter from Denel that abruptly ended their studies.
The Guardian 