Lesufi’s government delivers “Nas’iStunti” budget as half a million more young people join the unemployment line

Build One South Africa (BOSA) expresses disappointment with the Gauteng Provincial Budget re-tabled yesterday by Finance MEC Lebogang Maile, describing it as a “Nas’iStunti” stunt that fails to offer real hope or opportunities for the province’s young people.

There are now 3 195 192 young people without a job in Gauteng, up almost half a million – 426,360 – in the past five years.

The R172 billion budget is big on slogans and small on substance. While 1 in 3 young people in Gauteng are unemployed, Premier Lesufi’s government has allocated just R50 million – or 0.03% of the total budget – towards youth jobs. That is an insult to an entire generation that has been let down year after year.

The budget reveals that:

• Only R50 million is allocated to youth employment initiatives in a R172 billion budget.
• The Gauteng Treasury receives less than 0.5% of the total budget, undermining the province’s ability to track spending and drive fiscal accountability.
• Education receives 40% of the budget, yet learners are pushed through the system with a 30% pass mark, leaving them under-skilled and unprepared for the economy.
• Less than 1% of the total budget is aimed at skills development, despite a youth unemployment rate of 34.7%.
• Gauteng’s real GDP growth was just 0.8% in 2024, signalling a stagnant economy with no plan to absorb unemployed youth. 

BOSA Member of the Gauteng Legislature, Ayanda Allie MPL, said:

“The numbers don’t lie. Nearly half a million more young people have joined the unemployment line over the last five years, and yet this budget pretends as if that crisis doesn’t exist. Lesufi’s ‘Nas’iSpani’ promise has become a cruel ‘Nas’iStunti’ headline.”

BOSA believes this budget fails to meet the moment and does not respond to the urgent need for:

• Massive investment in youth skills development and work readiness programmes;
• A real strategy to grow the Gauteng economy beyond 1% per year;
• Education reform that prioritises outcomes, not just enrolments and pass rates.

“This budget could have been a turning point for Gauteng’s youth. Instead, it is a missed opportunity wrapped in political theatre. BOSA will continue to fight for a government that invests meaningfully in young people’s future, not just flashy PR campaigns,” Allie concluded.