Makhura’s premiership an absolute failure and his replacement won’t be any better

5 October 2022               

Gauteng Premier David Makhura’s resignation should’ve marked a sigh of relief for residents of the province, but instead, he will be replaced by another ANC politician who is most likely going to pick up where Makhura left off.

The fact that Makhura remained premier for as long as he did is demonstrative of the lack of leadership within the ANC and replacing him attests to the fact that the party is desperate to save face ahead of the 2024 national and provincial elections.

Makhura’s premiership has been marked as one of absolute failure with service delivery having deteriorated to complete lows for the province’s most vulnerable. Gauteng is losing jobs and business to other provinces and many lives have been lost due to governance failure.

It was under his watch that 144 people died in the Life Esidimeni tragedy where psychiatric patients were left abandoned, the Hammanskraal water crisis took place where water was found “unfit for human consumption”, millions were lost during Covid-19 PPE procurement, and thousands of jobs were lost.

The state of governance, sewer and infrastructure in Emfuleni has worsened. The Zama-Zamas have taken over our old mining towns and are terrorising the community.

Unemployment in the province increased from 24.6% when Makhura came into office in 2014, to a disastrous 37% today.

Furthermore, it took the Premier more than a year to investigate officials and contracts at the Tembisa Hospital following Babita Deokoran blew the lid on corruption in the Health Department and was soon murdered for the bravely of blowing the whistle on irregular contracts worth more than R800 million.

Meanwhile, the Province still awaits the smart cities Makhura announced back in 2020.

His replacement, who is going to be the last Premier of Gauteng from the ANC, does not promise to change the dismal service delivery record in the Province, and they will be handicapped by a party obsessed with maintaining power and profiteering from tenders.

It will only take a change in government in 2024 to reverse the ANC’s negative track record in the Province where the rule of law and good governance will be restored, jobs created, and the lives of the poor are improved.

Issued by Bongani Baloyi, Gauteng Provincial Chairperson, ActionSA, 5 September 2022