A bogus training programme is doing the rounds on social media.

An alleged programme which is being linked to the ANC Youth League and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), among others, promises to train members of the ANCYL and afford those in the process of obtaining membership a chance to train at academic institutions it is linked to.

The institutions are the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and the Durban University of Technology (DUT).

In the text that is being circulated on WhatsApp an invite is extended to call or e-mail Mtho Khumalo on 0716034197 or mthokhumalo11@gmail.com. Training which is alleged to be run in conjunction with the UIF is said to be available only to those who hold ANCYL membership or in the process of obtaining it.

The ANCYL in KwaZulu-Natal has denied it is involved in such a programme. Youth League secretary in the province, Thanduxolo Sabelo, said they had no knowledge of such a project and would not be involved in such as it would be illegal for a state programme to only recruit ANC youth league members.

“There’s no ways the ANC Youth league would be involved in such a programme. That should be a government programme and the ANC Youth League cannot involve itself in such a programme. Members of the Youth League must be encouraged to participate like everybody else. There is no way that for a person to be given a learnership you must be a member of the ANC Youth League. It would be unfortunate and very wrong, in fact, that would be corruption,” Sabelo told Sowetan.

The text message says that participants would be trained over 12 months at UKZN and DUT in Durban and Pietermaritzburg. The text further says those who are based in Pietermaritzburg will receive a stipend of R2, 000. According to the debunked text, 4,080 young people would be trained in various disciplines.

The text reads: “Chefs Training - 300 people, Beauty, Hair and Nails - 380 people, Municipal Property Rates - 450 people, Community Safety Liaison - 1400 people, Stone Crushing - 350 people, Agri-processing - 450 people, Game Farming - 400 people, Performing Arts (Train the trainer) - 350 people.”

UKZN spokesperson, Indumathie Moodley, also poured cold water on the alleged programme, saying the institution does not offer most of the programmes mentioned. Moodley said even though they have a school of agricultural sciences, it does not offer or run such a programme. “The university does not offer any one-year courses. We don’t even have most of these items in the university,” she said.

The UIF also sought to distance itself from the programme. Makhosonke Buthelezi, the UIF’s spokesperson, said: “For the record, the UIF unequivocally condemns and distances itself from the message. The UIF wishes to state quite clearly that when the Fund is recruiting learners for training programmes through Labour Activation Programmes, the recruitment and selection is done through the department of labour’s Employment Services South Africa (ESSA).”

DUT has also denied any involvement in the alleged programme. Spokesperson for the institution Alan Khan said they had instructed their office of the chief risk officer to look at it. "The Durban University of Technology has no knowledge or association with this programme. The University management has instructed the Office of the Chief Risk Officer to further investigate this matter," Khan said.

At the time of publication several attempts to reach Khumalo were unsuccessful as his phone went straight to voicemail.