BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

THE Economic Freedom Fighters in Ngaka Modiri Molema region in North West questioned the viability of The National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC) after they alleged that the programme is futile.

The EFF spokesperson in Ngaka Modiri Molema, Ouma Nkitse said the government should consider scrapping NARYSEC as the programme because it continues to grow structural unemployment. She said the move advocates for massive labour-absorptive sustainable industrial development through state-led industrialisation.

“The programme was established in September 2010 by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform with the objective to recruit and develop youth; and to perform community service in their own communities, but this has not been the case as mostly in many government programmes including Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP),” she said.

Nkitse said EFF in Ngaka Modiri Molema region is concerned by government wasting valuable tax payer’s money through NARYSEC which they view as an extension of EPWP which the ruling party is using as elections machinery.

“Over 50 000 beneficiaries from the NARYSEC programme are not eligible for employment due to the poor quality of the programme which cost taxpayers over R14.000 per month for each beneficiary; which amounts to millions in fruitless expenditure.”

“We have NARYSEC beneficiaries as trainees under the fire station of Mahikeng which is under-resourced and under-stuffed. The station also service nearby municipality which puts the already ailing station under tremendous pressure,” she said.

According to Nkitse, the party is concern about the situation at Mahikeng Fire Station. She said, while a shift at a fire station should comprise of more than 12 fire fighters, in Mahikeng a shift has 6 firefighters on stand-by.

“Over 90% of the stuff at this station is approaching retirement. There is no clear indication as to the age of the safety gear and how often it is replaced; this puts the life of firefighters in danger. It comes as a shock that fire fighters in Mahikeng fire station do not receive trauma counselling,” she said.

Nkitseng said what is happening is an indication of how government parastatals and departments operate in silos and the lack of proper planning; and the ultimate inability of the ANC to manage the state.

“As EFF Ngaka Modiri Molema Region, we call for a shake-up of the leadership of Mafikeng Local Municipality, the fire station has taken a nose dive over the last decade and heads must roll as this is an indication of the political instability and maladministration in Mahikeng Local Municipality,” she said.

The statement by EFF is incorrect in many respects.  A number of issues are conflated into certain assumptions which are not accurate.

However the department of Rural Development and Land Reform said NARYSEC recruits youth from rural areas and train them in skills identified as scare within the provinces. Chief Director for NARYSEC, Anton van Staden said: “The skills that the youth are provided with enable municipalities to absorb NARYSEC youth trained as builders, electricians, welders, farm and game rangers, Fire and Rescue Operations and many others skills.”

He also said as 50 000 NARYSEC participants in the programme – the most youth ever in the programme was 14 400 about a year ago and now have about 9 500 youth.

He said the monthly expenditure per youth is R14 000 and the youth are paid a monthly stipend of R1320.

“All the skills training the NARYSEC participants attend are SAQA accredited and are provided by the TVET Colleges. The allegation that training is of poor quality is therefore not correct. Unemployment statistics indicates that majority of youth in the country are unemployed due to economic realities including those with tertiary qualifications. NARYSEC can therefore not be singled out,” Staden said.

Staden said the department has 8 youth doing work place (practical) training at Mahikeng Municipality. “The youth are about to complete their qualification in Fire and Rescue Operations Level 4. The department is grateful to the Mahikeng municipality for allowing the NARYSEC youth to receive work place training.  It is hoped that the youth may be considered for permanent employment once they are qualified,” he said.

-TDN

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