Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s lofty plans to grow the economy will remain a pipe dream if the core problems deterring investment, such as crime and unclear policies, are not fixed, says Democratic Alliance Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga.
“Investors are hesitant to put their money into a province where crime is rampant and the government’s economic policies lack clarity. Without a stable, secure environment, no amount of job-creation programmes will succeed,” Msimanga said in response to Lesufi’s state of the province address, delivered on Thursday.
Msimanga said Lesufi’s government of provincial unity was failing to grow the economy because of its inability to clamp down on rising crime and corruption and fix the poor roads in the province.
The provincial government comprises the ANC and several smaller parties, including the Inkatha Freedom Party, Rise Mzansi and the Patriotic Alliance.
The ANC holds seven crucial portfolios, while the minority partners have each been allocated one portfolio. Together, they hold 33 out of 80 seats in the provincial legislature. The provincial unity government excludes the DA, which holds 22 seats and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) which has 11.
Lesufi said his government was “hard at work to arrest the proliferation of land invasion and illegal mining; to stamp out drug dealing and drug use; to eliminate the culture of hired killings … to eradicate the possession of illegal firearms; to prevent car highjacking”.
He said it would strive to protect children and women from perpetrators of gender-based violence, kidnappers and human traffickers.
The government’s investment in law enforcement, including the provision of new vehicles, helicopters and drones, was part of a broader strategy to address these issues.
“We are hard at work to create a safer Gauteng for all residents,” the premier said, acknowledging that, while progress had been made, much more needed to be done.
He said Gauteng, the country’s economic hub, had managed to attract investments worth more than R137 billion from global companies, banks and food companies. The provincial government was hard at work addressing electricity supply shortcomings, he added.
“To date, in just under six months since this commitment, we have installed 485 transformers across Ekurhuleni, the Vaal, Johannesburg, the West Rand and Tshwane. This has brought much relief to communities which have languished without electricity,” he said.
“To date, 28 of our health facilities, including clinics, hospitals, community healthcare centres and five schools, have an alternative energy supply. In propelling our plan forward, we launched priority areas for phase 2 of the energy response plan which crafts a roadmap to identify an additional 3 000 megawatts to add to the national grid.”
But Msimanga said Lesufi’s administration was not winning the battle to reduce employment in the province, which is at 38.6% according to the data from Statistics South Africa this week, with youth unemployment as high as 50%.
He said the Nasi Ispani programme, touted by Lesufi as a rapid response to joblessness, had failed to deliver tangible results.
“The premier’s lofty promises mean little if they are not backed by effective action. We are seeing more people out of work, not fewer, and that’s a direct indictment of this government’s failure to create a conducive environment for economic growth,” Msimanga said.
His criticism comes against the backdrop of the recent termination of contracts for 32 000 teacher assistants who had been employed by the provincial government for the past two years.
The termination came despite earlier promises from Lesufi that these contracts would be extended by another 12 months. “This is a devastating blow to thousands of young people who relied on these jobs,” Msimanga said.
“The Gauteng government has effectively turned its back on its commitment to tackle youth unemployment.
Lesufi said the termination of the teacher assistants’ contracts was a difficult decision, explaining that fiscal constraints made it necessary.
“We are proud that we were the only province that extended their contracts as long as we did but the reality of our fiscal situation forced us to make tough choices,” he said.
EFF Gauteng leader Nkululeko Dunga said Lesufi’s promise to deliver solutions to the province remains a “slogan rather than a substantive strategy”.
“Gauteng continues to record the highest crime levels in the country … The province also has the highest rates of violent crimes (1 787 in the last quarter), including sexual crimes (over 20% of the national total),” he said, adding that the Nasi Ispani initiative was a publicity stunt aimed at garnering votes.
“We call on the Gauteng government to avoid leaving these young people in limbo and instead find solutions to return them to work and place them in other skill-building and employment programmes across the province,” Dunga said.
Despite the terminations, Lesufi said over the past year nearly 130 000 previously unemployed residents had secured jobs through government initiatives.
He said the Gauteng government had signed a R1.1 billion agreement with the National Skills Fund and an R8 billion deal with the Unemployment Insurance Fund to reskill nearly 500 000 unemployed people.
“While we realise the potential of this programme, the fiscal constraints are a reality that can only be overcome by aggressively exploring funding opportunities and partnerships,” Lesufi added.
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