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The Democratic Alliance (DA) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the North West have lambasted the Premier’s Office for the sudden termination of a Denel contract, in which 39 young people were enrolled for a three-year apprenticeship in 2018.
The students allege that the programme, sponsored by the Premier’s Office for Technical Studies, ended abruptly without any explanation in January this year. They say they have not received their stipends for the past seven months.
Now political parties want the Premier to account for the matter.
The Premier’s Office identified these young people through the Ikatisong School of Governance to enroll for an apprenticeship as aircraft mechanics, fitters and turners and artisans at Denel in 2018.
The contracts run from February 2018 until 31st December 2020. But, the students say they were shocked when Denel told them they won’t continue their apprenticeship and if they have any queries, they must direct them to their sponsor, the North West premier’s office.
The students say they were depending on the stipends they were receiving from this programme and have not had any income since it was stopped in January this year.
The youth have evidence of their many efforts, trying to get answers from the Premier’s Office, without any luck.
DA Leader in the province Joe McGluwa, says the sudden termination of the apprenticeship, is an addition to the already escalating youth unemployment rate in the province…
“It is a crying shame that these students have been robbed of a future. Not only have they been deprived of an opportunity to add to their respective communities, but they’re also excluded from a meaningful chance that they can make to our economy within the North West province. So, we are saying as the DA, it is unacceptable. The DA will submit written questions to the Premier, and we will ask difficult questions so that we can come to the bottom of what is really happening here.”
The EFF says the Premier must take full responsibility for the matter.
