​Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi launched a large-scale skills training program at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on Saturday, 06 April 2024.
The program will be jointly funded by the provincial government, the Department of Employment and Labour, and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). The program will receive an investment of R8.2 billion from Nxesi's Department.
The initiative aims to uplift Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant beneficiaries and increase skill levels in the province.
Speaking during a media announcement of Named the iCrush ne Lova Jobs and Skills Programme, Lesufi said that through this program, the government wants to provide jobs for 480 000 individuals by bridging the skills gap in sectors like construction, engineering, aviation, and entrepreneurship.
"We are not taking 100 000, we are not taking under 200 000, we are not taking under 400 000; we are taking almost 500 000 unemployed people out of poverty and placing them on the path of human development," he said.
Lesufi encouraged unemployed youth to apply, with applications open at schools and community halls on April 13 and 14, 2024.
The launch of Crush Ne lova is a follow-on program by the Gauteng Provincial Government called Nasi Spani, which has seen more than 40 000 young people being employed permanently or on contract positions in various state institutions in the province.