Top Leaders Leave Nemisa After Problems with R50 Million Training Programme

What is Nemisa?

Nemisa is a government organisation that gives training in digital and media skills to young people, women, and small businesses in rural and township areas. It works with Bankseta to train unemployed youth in six provinces.

What went wrong?

An investigation found that Nemisa paid some training companies a lot more money per learner than others. For example, some companies got R25,200 per learner, while others got only R800 for the same training. The investigation also found evidence of wrongdoing by the CEO, Trevor Rammitlwa. He denies the claims and says it is a smear campaign.

The Minister of Communications, Solly Malatsi, refused to renew the CEO's contract after the investigation. The CEO has now left. The board chair, Lionel Adendorf, also resigned after questions about how he handled the matter.

Why does this matter for job seekers?

This programme is meant to help unemployed people get digital skills to find jobs. If there is financial mismanagement, it could affect the quality of training or the number of people who can be trained. It is important that public money is used wisely so that more people can benefit.

What happens next?

Nemisa will appoint a new CEO. The board says it has put new rules in place to prevent similar problems. The investigation report will go through a legal review. Job seekers should watch for updates to make sure the training programmes are still available and fair.

This article was originally published on TimesLIVE.