The Department of Transport and Community Safety in Limpopo, has noted with dismay, attempts by Opposition Political Formations to blemish its programme of recruiting candidates for the Traffic Learnership Programme.
The Department is aware of a voice note recording, of someone who identifies themself as the Leader of the Official Opposition Party in the Limpopo Legislature, which makes all mannerism of accusations regarding the recruitment of candidates for the Traffic Learnership Programme.
Under normal circumstances, the Department would not be responding to political bickering between Political Parties, as they exchange blows with the Ruling Party.
However, this is done to preserve the integrity of this programme, and many other Government programmes, that might be susceptible to any form of political expediency.
This stunt undermines Government's protocols, procedures and policies on recruitment.
It also implies that this Department's recruitment initiatives are mired by acts of nepotism and corruption, - which is further from the truth.
In the voice note, the said Leader, claims that this programme is biased, littered with nepotism and ignores beneficiaries of other Extended Public Works Programme - like the Road Safety Ambassadors Programme.
The assertion being made in the voice note, creates the impression that the Road Safety Ambassadors' Programme, is a precursor to the Traffic Learnership Programme.
It also insinuates that, all participants within the Road Safety Ambassadors' Programme must get automatic passage, into the Traffic Learnership Programme.
This claim forgoes the fact that the Traffic Learnership Programme has 150 vacancies, and the EPWP beneficiaries must be the 'only young people' who benefit from any Government programme.
The Department has interacted with around 15 000 applications, as part of the recruitment drive, and there was no CV which was marked to be from a relative of any leader in society.
However, this Department will do everything possible, to ensure that this process will identify skill and potential, irrespective of proximity or inclination, to any political leader or family member, within the Department or the Ruling Party.
For someone who is in a position of authority and is privileged to be in the Provincial Legislature, charged with the responsibility to play oversight on the Executive, the said Leader has all the laxity of time, to summon this Department to be answerable on its actions, through proper channels.
Making such wild accusations and rushing to the media on a process that is still in process, must be viewed as nothing, but a desperate ploy of political grand-standing, and putting a legitimate Government programme in disarray.
Instead of viewing this programme as a 'quantum leap' to Government's efforts of creating employment, the Opposition Leader has opted to 'play politics' and stir confusion amongst thousands of young people, who have applied to be a part of this Programme.
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Issued by the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety