‘His performance in terms of overall delivery by the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) is a dismal failure.’
Problems keep piling up for the premier of Gauteng, now facing a poor performance assessment from the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Not only does Panyaza Lesufi have to deal with the possibility of losing his position as the chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) in the province, but now the DA’s annual report card describes his government as underperforming.
The party has released its annual assessment of the premier and his MECs in the province.
DA leader in Gauteng, Solly Msimanga, said each responsible political head has been assessed on their work since taking office.
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However, Lesufi is assessed on the overall performance of his government.
“The result is an average of 2.9/10. Accordingly, his performance in terms of overall delivery by the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG ) is a dismal failure,” Msimanga said.
After the May elections, Lesufi merged the Departments of Education and Sports, as well as Finance and Economic Development.
He also took over the Department of Community Safety and brought it to his office.
However, the DA said this department has failed to perform optimally under his supervision.
The department experienced allegations of tender corruption and maladministration.
“A questionable tender to the tune of R9.7 million was awarded to purchase 124 pistols.
“The R10.8 million spent on procurement of drones has been flagged as irregular expenditure,” Msimanga said.
He complained that despite Lesufi having direct influence over crime initiatives in the province, there had been an increase in Gender Based Violence (GBV) crimes.
“There has been an increase in Gender Based Violence in the province and rape cases for the third quarter of 2024.”
He said the Amapanayaza crime-fighting wardens had done little to help the province with its high crime rate.
The crime wardens were Lesufi’s brainchild and are meant to help police fight crime in communities.
“The incompetent Crime Safety Wardens (Amapanyaza) are also not adequately trained to fight crime.
“The initiatives (which were election gimmicks) introduced to fight crime have not worked,” he said.
This department received a 2/10.
Gauteng municipalities
The municipalities in Gauteng fall under the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).
Msimanga said 2024 saw most municipalities struggling with water and electricity supply with frequent outages.
“Municipalities in Gauteng continue to face severe challenges, particularly with ongoing issues related to water shortages, electricity failures, and neglected service delivery.
“These concerns are exacerbated by a lack of effective leadership and clear strategic direction from the department,” Msimanga said.
He said some municipalities were battling to manage their finances, with some owning millions of rands to Eskom and Rand Water.
“Furthermore, municipalities unable to pay their debt to Eskom are forced to implement load-reduction, leaving residents without electricity.
“Some municipalities like Emfuleni have spent millions of rands to collect their refuse, yet this does not happen, leaving residents in unhygienic conditions.”
This department scored 3/10.
Education
This year was troubling for the safety of learners in schools. There were food poisoning incidents and problems with teacher vetting.
Gauteng in a state of ‘turmoil’
The DA report card highlighted service delivery problems that have existed for years.
This is the opinion of Sanet Solomons, a political analyst at the University of South Africa (Unisa.
However, she said it would be incorrect to blame some political parties for their failures without considering the province’s entire political landscape.
“It should be stated that Gauteng has been in turmoil for some time. There is an urgent need for accountability and improved governance by all those who have contributed towards its fall.”
Solomon said that instead of redirecting the blame to an individual, all those who have held leadership positions in Gauteng need to unify and address the challenges plaguing the province.
“Ordinary South Africans are experiencing political fatigue as they witness blame shifting and political rhetoric from one election cycle to another.
“Political leaders need to rather roll up their sleeves and get to work serving the communities that rely on them,” she said.
*The Citizen contacted the premier’s spokesperson, Sizwe Pamla, to comment on the DA report card. When this article was published, no response had been received.
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