Government says they only “endorsed” them and “appreciated” the good work they do in mobilising for the betterment of young people.
The Mpumalanga government has denied they ever signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Practical Radical Economic Transformation (PRET), saying they only “endorsed” them as an organised structure for youth development.
The government responds a week after PRET accused it of being “unwilling” to work with them in fulfilling the agreement they had with former Premier David Mabuza a year ago.
Called a ‘Memorandum of Agreement’, the controversial Mpumalanga organisation said the agreement was signed by Mabuza and forces the provincial government to commit to youth development.
The organisation is led by eMalahleni businessman Themba Sgudla as President and features former eMalahleni municipal councillor Sunday Mathebula as secretary.
It said there is “slow progress” in fulfilling the pledges made in the Memorandum of Agreement as well as “non-existent implementation of resolutions” they reached with Mabuza last year in terms of how the memorandum would “be rolled out”.
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“There was never a formal agreement,” government spin doctor Zibonele Mncwango said on Monday this week.
“The former Premier just endorsed them as a structure working with youth, that the government should assist them in their programs but there was never a formal agreement,” Mncwango said.
He said PRET was particularly needed to come as “an organised structure” when the Mpumalanga government partnered with Standard Bank in a bid to create jobs by empowering small businesses late last year.
“That’s when the former Premier said ‘no, because you are an organised structure come involve yourself here’,” Mncwango said.
(edited by ZK)
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