Service delivery in Gauteng will continue to decline despite creation of new departments

7 October 2022

The new Premier of Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi this afternoon announced his new executive with much fanfare, but all that we have is a recycled executive that will not bring anything to deliver better services and improve the lives of our people.

All that Lesufi did today was to appease his political masters and alliances.

The new MECs are as follows:

- Finance- Jacob Mamabolo
- Cooperative Governance and Traditional, e-Government, Research and Development- Mzi Khumalo
- Transport and Logistics- Kedibone Diale Tlabela
- Human Settlements and Infrastructure Development- Lebogang Maile
- Health and Wellness- Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko
- Education- Matome Chiloane
- Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture (SRAC)- Morakane Mosupyoe
- Community Safety- Faith Mazibuko
- Social Development- Mbali Hlophe
- Economic Development-Tasneem Motara

The new MEC for Finance previously headed up the Department of Roads and Transport and promised that e-Tolls would be scrapped. Yet, since 2018 no progress has been made on this and we still have an unwanted system imposed on our residents.

The departments of Human Settlements and Infrastructure Development have now been combined and given to an incompetent MEC who in his previous portfolio which included Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs was unable to ensure that all residents have access to dignified housing.

There is no way in which he will be able to turn around the department of Infrastructure Development which is already lacking in competent and skilled officials.

MEC Tasneem Motara, could not fix the department of Infrastructure Development which is one of the key economic drivers in the province and now she has been tasked with running the Department of Economic Development.

Both the MECs now responsible for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SRAC)and Social Development failed in their previous portfolios and constantly failed to meet critical targets set for their departments.

The DA welcomes the removal of the former MEC for Health, Nomathemba Mokgethi as she failed to clamp down on the rampant corruption in her department. We also question how the new Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, will turn around this department which is rooted in corruption.

It appears as if this province is just limping from one disaster to the next and the only end in sight is for the residents of Gauteng to vote for a capable DA government in the 2024 general elections.

If Lesufi was a true leader, he would instead have kept the departments as they are and do a proper review of what measures needed to be taken to improve service delivery. Lesufi would also have used this opportunity to take the residents of this province into his confidence and outline his plans to deal with the current load-shedding and water crisis.

This province can no longer continue on the current path as this will only see the increase of unemployment and crime rates.

Issued by Solly Msimanga, Official Leader of the Opposition-Gauteng, 7 October 2022