Gauteng government rejects the DA’s criticism over Lesufi’s employment initiatives [SOUND]

# The Gauteng government has defended premier Panyaza Lesufi’s job creation efforts. This comes as the DA stated that the premier’s employment initiatives are failing, as the unemployment rate has increased by 1.1-percent from the fourth quarter of 2025 to 34.1-percent. The provincial government’s spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, says initiatives such as Nasi iSpani and investment pledges exceeding 518-billion-rand have already contributed to more than 114-thousand jobs across various sectors: