Over 1,000 young participants in a government-funded learnership program have taken to the streets in protest after months of unpaid stipends, barricading the R31 highway between Barkley West and Longlands with rocks and burning tires.
The learnership, funded by the Department of Labour through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and implemented by the Mineworkers Development Agency (MDA), was meant to provide skills training in poultry farming and plant production. However, since the program began in April, not a single stipend has been paid, leaving participants desperate and angry.
“We Are Fed Up” – Learners Demand Payment
The affected learners, from Gong Gong, Kuruman, Delportshoop, and Longlands, say they have endured months of empty promises.
“We are students, we are youth struggling with jobs and so forth. It’s been three months now—two months that we haven’t been attending [classes]. We attended only for a month, after that they didn’t pay the stipend,” said one protester. “We’ve been asking and asking, but no proper answers were given. We are fed up. They must just give us our money.”
The learners were scheduled to begin practical training earlier this month but refused to continue without payment. Their frustration reached a boiling point this week when they blocked the R31, leading to clashes with law enforcement. Twenty-three protesters were arrested for public violence but were later released on a warning.
Service Provider Blames MDA, Fears for Safety
A local service provider contracted to facilitate the training blamed the Mineworkers Development Agency for the delays, saying unpaid stipends are damaging the program’s credibility—and putting facilitators at risk.
“From our company’s side, we’ve been responsible for training the learners. Our facilitators have always been on the ground, and we’ve been pushing to make sure learners get their stipends on time,” the facilitator said. “But the unkept promises by the agency are also putting my life in danger.”
No Response from Authorities
Despite repeated attempts to get answers, neither the Department of Labour nor the Mineworkers Development Agency has responded to inquiries regarding the payment delays.
With tensions still high, the learners vow to continue their protests until they receive what they were promised. For now, the R31 remains a hotspot of frustration, symbolizing yet another broken promise to South Africa’s unemployed youth.