Ms Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane,premier of Mpumalanga, released a statement to address the allegations of nepotism associated with the 2021 intake of candidates at the Mpumalanga Traffic College on 14 January.

Ms Tsipane, said: “Ever since I was tasked with the responsibility of leading the Mpumalanga provincial government, I made a commitment to clean and transparent governance as well advancing the interests of the downtrodden amongst our people, especially the youth.”

She added, the impact of Covid-19 has had on the provincial economy, it has been been her responsibility to ensure that they work tirelessly in order for the provincial government, through all its departments and agencies, to steer the process of creating fair and equitable employment opportunities for the youth of Mpumalanga.

This is to aid the war against the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality, which are exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to information in the statement, “Following numerous complaints of manipulation of processes in the build-up to the intake of learners at the traffic college, the premier convened a meeting with the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison on 13 January.”

Ms Tsipane, said: “I was disappointed to learn in the meeting that proper due diligence had not been done by the department in relation to some of the material requirements that had to be met by prospective applicants.

“With this in mind and considering that the 2021 intake of students was a disproportional reflection of the geographical make up of Mpumalanga, I have come to the conclusion that the process undertaken by the department was procedural and fatally flawed.”

The process has been nullified and will recommence with proper and effective diligence that shall be over seen and verified by independent recruitment specialists.

Read the complete article in the Highvelder.