Ziwaphi Relentless quest for the truth
WATCH
Mpumalanga’s MEC for finance and economic development and tourism has denied that the provincial government was funding the Practical Radical Economic Transformation (PRET).
PRET is registered as a non-profit making organisation for unemployed young people, however, the organisation is known for distributing R200 notes to people who are attending its massive rallies in the province.
This feat started after the organisation started its relationship with the Mpumalanga provincial government when it was formed in March 2017.
Ziwaphi asked Kholwane about the relationship between the provincial government and PRET.
His response was extremely confusing, and as Ziwaphi we decided to publish the response verbatim with the hope that the readers would be able to make sense.
“The difficult one of PRET but easy.
PRET is like any NGO like we have your youth business chamber. We have an MOU as a department. We work with them and we agree. The only interest we have is around the issue which they are raising which is around the unemployment of young people.
“There are many organisations who are raising the same issue we are engaging as local government. We don’t have a budget which has been budgeted for PRET. There is no allocation in government which is budgeted for PRET.
“All what happens is that if they are raising issues, like any other issue which has been raised, the relevant department must respond within the budget that they have.
“I know that sometimes other people are asking us when they are posturing politically, you can’t account. It’s like your child when your child he’s growing old or bigger, you can have this minimal control, but you can’t control the child entirely.
“Where we have interaction and relationship is only in relation of dealing with issues of unemployment.
“When we engage with them we don’t engage with them only to address them in response of the issues. If they are raising issues like the issues you are raising here, like they raise of the 35 year old, we are not going to address it if we look into it direct to. We are going to address it for everyone who happens to be above 35. It should be consistent or general in application. You cannot have only specific arrangement to address certain people only but other people cannot be able to be assisted around that,” said Kholwane.
The deputy president of the Republic of South Africa, David Mabuza, is on record of having helped establish the organisation, and PRET always carry flags in praise of Mabuza.
