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On the 07th of October, we met with representatives from Premier Panyaza's office and the Gauteng Department of Education. They mentioned that the program ended because there was no budget to continue and that its future cannot be determined as the UIF has to release the funds for BEEI. They also mentioned that the GYB program is a short-term employment opportunity created to give young people short-term employment so they can be employable; the contracts are in no way permanent. They also noted that while the future of the program cannot be determined it is unfair to hold the premier to promises he made before the consolidation of the 7th parliament as premier Lesufi is a "politician" and politicians make promises. They also couldn't answer why Lesufi has failed to address the brigades physically similar to when they were hired. We await a written response from the office of the premier and how we can escalate.
To: Premier Panyaza Lesufi
Gauteng youth brigades demand answers
*[Campaign update] We handed over our memorandum of demands along with the petition to the office of the Premier and they said they will respond in three days to set up a meeting.
** [Campaign update] On the 07th of October, we met with representatives from Premier Panyaza's office and the Gauteng Department of Education. They mentioned that the program ended because there was no budget to continue and that its future cannot be determined as the UIF has to release the funds for BEEI. They also mentioned that the GYB program is a short-term employment opportunity created to give young people short-term employment so they can be employable; the contracts are in no way permanent. They also noted that while the future of the program cannot be determined it is unfair to hold the premier to promises he made before the consolidation of the 7th parliament as Premier Lesufi is a "politician" and politicians make promises. They also couldn't answer why Lesufi has failed to address the brigades physically similar to when they were hired. We await a written response from the office of the premier and how we can escalate.
The Gauteng Youth Brigades (GYB) was established under the Nasi Spani program launched by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi in June 2023. Since then, we have taken several peaceful actions to address our concerns.
Key Events:
• July 12, 2024: We submitted a memorandum of demands to the Union Buildings.
• July 31, 2024: We camped outside the Department of Education offices and met with officials to discuss the way forward.
• July 31, 2024: The Gauteng Department of Education released a statement claiming our contract had ended, contradicting Premier Lesufi's promise to extend it until national government takeover.
• August 9, 2024: During Women's Day celebrations, Premier Lesufi reassured that GYB's contract would continue under Nasi Spani.
Current Status:
Despite submitting our memorandum to the Gauteng Department of Education, we have yet to receive a response, despite their promise to reply within three weeks.
Our Demand:
We, the Gauteng Youth Brigades, seek answers regarding our contracts
** [Campaign update] On the 07th of October, we met with representatives from Premier Panyaza's office and the Gauteng Department of Education. They mentioned that the program ended because there was no budget to continue and that its future cannot be determined as the UIF has to release the funds for BEEI. They also mentioned that the GYB program is a short-term employment opportunity created to give young people short-term employment so they can be employable; the contracts are in no way permanent. They also noted that while the future of the program cannot be determined it is unfair to hold the premier to promises he made before the consolidation of the 7th parliament as Premier Lesufi is a "politician" and politicians make promises. They also couldn't answer why Lesufi has failed to address the brigades physically similar to when they were hired. We await a written response from the office of the premier and how we can escalate.
The Gauteng Youth Brigades (GYB) was established under the Nasi Spani program launched by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi in June 2023. Since then, we have taken several peaceful actions to address our concerns.
Key Events:
• July 12, 2024: We submitted a memorandum of demands to the Union Buildings.
• July 31, 2024: We camped outside the Department of Education offices and met with officials to discuss the way forward.
• July 31, 2024: The Gauteng Department of Education released a statement claiming our contract had ended, contradicting Premier Lesufi's promise to extend it until national government takeover.
• August 9, 2024: During Women's Day celebrations, Premier Lesufi reassured that GYB's contract would continue under Nasi Spani.
Current Status:
Despite submitting our memorandum to the Gauteng Department of Education, we have yet to receive a response, despite their promise to reply within three weeks.
Our Demand:
We, the Gauteng Youth Brigades, seek answers regarding our contracts
Why is this important?
Bongani Mthembu who also worked as a teacher assistant shares his experiences “we started last year in February under the PYEI program, shared Bongani Mthembu, 34, one of the affected youth brigades. Our contracts ended in December, and we were called to Dobsonville Stadium by the Premier, who assured us that we would remain in contact until the National Government decided on our future. He never told us the contract would end. Some of us are working with kids and teachers who have welcomed us into their schools. We’ve formed bonds with the students and staff, and now we are being forced to leave, Mthembu added. Even my principal called me, saying it’s a heavy-duty since I’ve been gone.” Read more here: https://ekurhuleninews.co.za/affected-youth-brigade-raises-his-concern/
Last month a group of brigades took to the streets to make their demands known and to get the premier to address them.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/ncnA-EtnEIw?si=wq3oJ-1hwKPRf-3s&t=39
Add your name to the petition to help us get answers from Panyaza Lesufi.
Last month a group of brigades took to the streets to make their demands known and to get the premier to address them.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/ncnA-EtnEIw?si=wq3oJ-1hwKPRf-3s&t=39
Add your name to the petition to help us get answers from Panyaza Lesufi.
How it will be delivered
The petition will be delivered physically to the office of the premier