Gauteng SOPA: Sacrificing political expediency and kleptocracy at the alter of progress will be the true test of Lesufi’s premiership
20 February 2023
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi used his inaugural State of the Province Address (SoPA) to announce grand plans to tackle crime, grow the economy and improve healthcare, but history has shown that where the ANC governs, it is unable to deliver on its promises.
After all these are just promises. There is no shortage of ideas in South Africa, the fundamental issue is that the ANC always fails on delivery. Its rapacious appetite for kleptocracy and political expediency seems to always eclipse the promises it makes to the people of South Africa. The Gauteng Province unfortunately is not immune to this deeply ingrained impulse.
We are cautiously optimistic about Premier Lesufi’s promises to decisively address crime in the province, support those affected by drugs, formalise township communities, and bring an end to load shedding - things we asked him to address.
While we welcome these proclamations, we are fully appreciate that these line items will require intergovernmental cooperation with all sectors of government, particularly national government.
It is however disappointing that following months of repeated pronouncement, the formal end to e-tolls was still not announced while the conclusion of corruption investigations at, among others, the department of health has still not been concluded.
It is this dilatory track record that does not inspire confidence in the ANC government’s commitments.
Premier Lesufi’s grand plans are encouraging, but we are concerned about how it all will be funded.
With roughly a year to the national and provincial elections, Lesufi will be unable to make drastic changes to the provincial budget and performance plans without incurring exorbitant amounts of wasteful expenditure.
So the devil really is in the detail and we look forward to the budget when we come once step closer to how all this will be achieved.
Like his predecessor’s SoPA last year, Lesufi promised to address the declining living standards in Gauteng, address the township economy and end corruption.
And like his predecessor, Lesufi will likely be unable to deliver on those promises due to the deep-seated mismanagement and corruption tendencies among Lesufi’s peers in the ANC.
Gauteng can once again the beacon of hope for South Africa, but that can only be achieved through ethical leadership, a key value of ActionSA.
ActionSA, as a government in waiting, will do everything in its power keep Premier Lesufi accountable to the promises he has made, and ensure that a misuse of public funds doesn’t occur.
Issued by Bongani Baloyi, Gauteng Chairperson, ActionSA, 20 February 2023
