This comes as the hub was opened earlier on 2 April but has since then not been operating properly as some functions, such as internet facilities and ICT training, are not yet in place.

OFM News journalists took to the hub undercover last month to see what it looked like following complaints that it was not operational, as well as complaints that the call centre is too small for the number of companies that will be housed there. The centre is, in fact, a project of the Lejweleputswa District Municipality and operates from the Lejweleputswa Disaster Management Centre in Welkom.

Speaking to OFM News earlier this week, Speelman said he is aware of all the issues there and he assured OFM News that the hub, intended to benefit the youth in the Matjhabeng area and the Lejweleputswa District Municipality, will be reopened next month.

Meanwhile, speaking from Bloemfontein earlier this week following provincial Premier Sisi Ntombela’s State of the Province Address (Sopa), Speelman said that all sectors of government, particularly municipalities, must work closely with the private sector to reduce joblessness among the youth. In Welkom, he said private companies in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, through the Lejweleputswa District Municipality, is looking to partner with the private sector, including the mining giants Harmony and Sibanye Gold Mines, to create jobs.

OFM News