DA criticises MEC’s R51m spending on life skills courses, two days after her death

The Gauteng department of social development spent more than R51 million on unaccredited training courses in the 2018/19 financial year as part of its Youth Development Programme, DA MPL Refiloe Nt’sekhe said in a statement on Sunday.

“This was revealed to me by the Gauteng MEC for social development, Thuliswa Nkabinde-Khawe, in a written reply to my questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature,” said Nt’sekhe.

Nt’sekhe made no mention of the fact that Nkabinde-Khawe had passed away in hospital on Friday evening.

ALSO READ: Gauteng social development MEC Thuliswa Nkabinde-Khawe dies

According to Nkabinde-Khawe, Nt’sekhe said, the department had trained 53,780 youth as part of the Youth Development Programme to be “empowered with life skills and technical training”.

However, said Nt’sekhe, life skills training, which the department defined as a “soft skill” was meant to enhance one’s interpersonal skills such as communication, teamwork and problem solving, and was not accredited.

“The reasons given by the department on why life skills training is not accredited are: these courses are of short duration and are meant for capacity building and life skills; cost implications; basic preparation for the workplace; and basic training and attendance certificates are sufficient for entry level jobs.”

He said it was worrying that the department was spending millions on unaccredited courses, “yet our youth lack the essential skills needed in the employment sector”.

“The youth will benefit more from skills that will increase their employability and enable them to sustain their lives.

“It’s high time that the department considers investing more in alleviating scarce skills so that our youth are given a fair chance to access job opportunities in the province.”

Gauteng Premier David Makhura on Saturday paid tribute to Nkabinde-Khawe. He said she had been “passionate about the issues affecting the poor, children, women, the elderly and people living with disability as the most vulnerable section of the population”.

She had been a member of Gauteng Provincial Legislature since 2009.

The ANC in Gauteng has expressed “shock and sadness” at Nkabinde-Khawe’s death, the cause of which was not immediately explained.

“It was her passion for community service that saw her taking up the cause of the downtrodden through her involvement in various formations,” said ANC spokesperson Bones Modise.

Nkabinde-Khawe was also the provincial secretary of the South African National Civic Organisation in Gauteng.

(Compiled by Charles Cilliers)

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