In a much-anticipated event, the Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, Honourable Ntombi Mekgwe, is set to preside over the Official Opening of the Legislature, marking the beginning of a new legislative year. The highlight of the ceremony will be the State of the Province Address (SOPA) delivered by the esteemed Gauteng Premier, Honourable Panyaza Lesufi.
The grand occasion, hosted as part of Project CBNews coverage, is expected to draw significant attention as Premier Lesufi unveils his comprehensive assessment of the political and socio-economic landscape of Gauteng. This address will provide a roadmap for the province's future, outlining key policies, priorities, and service delivery commitments for the upcoming year.
The State of the Province Address has become a pivotal annual event, serving as a platform for the Gauteng Premier to communicate directly with the citizens and stakeholders. Premier Lesufi is expected to address a wide range of issues, including economic development, social welfare, healthcare, education, and infrastructure projects.
Gauteng, as the economic hub of South Africa, plays a critical role in the nation's development, making the SOPA a key event not only for the province but for the entire country. The Gauteng Government's service delivery commitments for the year ahead will be closely scrutinized, as citizens and organizations eagerly await plans and initiatives that will shape the province's trajectory.
STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS BY THE PREMIER OF GAUTENG,
HONORABLE PANYAZA LESUFI, 19TH FEBRUARY 2023, NASREC COMPLEX,
GAUTENG
Madame Speaker, Lentheng Ntombi Mekgwe
Deputy Speaker
Former Premiers, David Makhura, Nomvula Paula Mokonyane, Paul Mashatile,
Mbazima Shilowa, Mathole Motshekga and Gabriel Tokyo Sexwale
Members of the Executive Council
Leaders of Political Parties in the Legislature
Executive Mayors and Members of the Mayoral Committees
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Leadership of the African National Congress and other political parties
Leadership of Labour Formations
Representatives of various Business Formations
Acting Provincial Commissioner: Maj Gen Mthombeni and former GPG PC Mawela
Representatives of Youth, Women and People with Disabilities
Leadership of LGTBQTI communities
Ladies and Gentlemen
Fellow Citizens of Gauteng
INTRODUCTION
It is my honour and privilege to deliver the 2024 State of the Province Address today.
This SOPA is taking place during an intersection of seminal moments which define the
history of our province and, indeed, our country.
Almost 30 years ago the first SOPA was delivered in this very venue by the first
Premier of Gauteng Province, Mr Gabriel Mosime Tokyo Sexwale.
At the time, as Honourable Jack Bloom can confirm, there was no Gauteng
Legislature, or Gauteng Departments to speak of.
At the time, there was no Gautrain or the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to speak of.
At the time, the Mandela Bridge was not even a figment of the imagination; nor was
the Blue IQ multi-billion investment in economic infrastructure development.
At the time, there was no soccer stadium called ‘soccer city’ – the host venue for the
historic 2010 FIFA world cup show piece.
At the time, there were no low-cost housing, or what is known as RDP houses, to
speak of.
TODAY 30 YEARS later, I am proud to stand before you to report back to this august
House and the people of our province on all the milestones which have transfigured
the face of our province over the last three decades due to the interventions of this
government.
The Province of Gauteng has changed beyond recognition from the racialised spatial
nightmare of our past
The political vision of the society, that this ANC-led government seeks to build, is driven
by the strategic goal of creating a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and just
society. It is a long journey for sure, but the ancient Chinese tell us that a journey of
1000 miles begins with the first step.
Our vision have been translated by successive ANC-led administrations through the
Gauteng Trade and Investment Strategy, the Blue IQ Mega Infrastructure projects, the
Ten-pillar Programme of Transformation, Modernisation and Re-industrialisation
(TMR), the Growing Gauteng Together (GGT2030) Plan, and now our elevated
priorities anchored on Township, Informal Settlements and Hosital (TISH) as we
conclude the sixth administration.
When we addressed this house exactly 12 months ago we committed ourselves to:
• Fighting crime, lawlessness and corruption;
• Accelerating our economic position;
• Improving our Townships, Informal Settlements and Hostels;
• Building the capacity of the State;
• Fine-tuning our communication capabilities.
FIGHTING CRIME
Honourable Members;
During the 6th Administration, we framed our response to crime within the Growing
Gauteng Together (GGT2030) Provincial Strategy, supported by a coherent and
integrated 5-year Gauteng Policing Plan with an increase in resource allocation.
In the past year, our overall investment in the fight against crime and the promotion of
safety, especially within Townships, Informal Settlements and Hostels (TISH) has
increased substantially. That is why when we came into office in 2022, we committed
to increasing the total budget of the Department of Community Safety from over R750
million to R2.7 billion over a year. We intend to further increase this budget in the next
MTEF cycle to strengthen our capacity to fight crime.
Our support for SAPS in this Province, of ensuring they improve police visibility in
communities and access to police services, is unwavering. To this end, the Gauteng
Provincial Government donated 250 high-powered vehicles to the SAPS to enhance
crime fighting within the communities. We have also handed over 12 mobile police
stations to SAPS to enable people in precincts without police stations to report crimes.
Illegal mining
We are continuously breaking the back of Zama Zamas (illegal miners) in Gauteng.
Since the decisive response by the President to our request to address the challenges
of illegal mining in derelict mines, there has been a marked decrease in this abhorrent
activity in the province.
Our weekly high-intensity joint “Okae Molao” and “Shanela” operations on illegal
mining conducted across the province by SAPS, SANDF, GTP, Wardens (CPWs) and
Private Security companies are producing results. Between April and December
2023, 439 persons were arrested for illicit mining activities in Boksburg, Dobsonville,
Kagiso, Khutsong, Krugersdorp, Primrose, Randfontein, Tarlton, Westonaria, Benoni
and Springs.
We are dealing decisively with notorious crime syndicates, especially those involving
bank robberies, illegal mining, drug and child trafficking and cash-in-transit heists. To
date, 79,749 joint operations have been conducted at provincial and district levels in
the TISH areas. These operations resulted in 9,244 arrests and the recovery of 1,532
stolen/hijacked vehicles.
It is for this reason that I want to pay tribute to the former Gauteng police
commissioner, Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela who led the battle against crime in
our province from the front, unfortunately, we couldn’t persuade him to stay on when
his contract expired. We look forward to working with the Acting Commissioner, Major
General Mthombeni who is holding the fort diligently.
Madam Speaker;
Crime Prevention Wardens flagship project:
When we addressed this house exactly 12 months ago, almost 7 000 of our people
were unemployed and desponded. While others insulted them as drunkards in
shebeens clothed in Pep Store uniforms, we saw them as patriotic young South
Africans who were yearning for opportunities and committed to serving their
communities. Today, we are proud to announce that we have exceeded our initial
target and that there are over 7000 young people who are fully and permanently
employed by this government as wardens and have joined us in the house today.
In keeping with the ethos of an inclusive society, we esured that coloured and Indian
communities were included through special recruitment that saw over 2000 young
people from these communities becoming wardens.
On 12 December 2023, the Crime Prevention Wardens were granted Peace Officer
status by the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services.
As Kahil Gilbran once said “No sunrise will find us where sunset left us. Days are
never counted backwards!”
Our wardens have received extensive basic training. As I am speaking to you, CPWS
are being trained by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) at its military
base. The CPWs are deployed on a 24/7 shift basis in different wards and crime
hotspots under the supervision of SAPS, Gauteng Traffic and Metro Police
Departments. Some of the CPWs are undergoing specialised training.
Thus far, they are receiving advanced training on fire-arm competence, as drone pilots,
training in crowd-control, advanced driving, and training on anti-land invasion and
infrastructure vandalism, while others will be on monitoring cameras in our three
interim command centres.
We are increasing the number of Crime Prevention Wardens to over 12000. The
current recruits who will be military veterans will remain on a two-year contract.
Less talk, More work!
Honourable Members;
Asijiki! No corner of our townships, informal settlements, CBDs or hostels will go
unpoliced. Our war on crime knows no bounds; it is real and it is uncompromising.
Our comprehensive integrated crime prevention plan is anchored on improved access
to policing service, improved partnership policing, reduction in identified priority crimes,
implementation of E-policing, increasing the human resource capacity and
professionalism of law enforcement, deployment of intelligence capacity, improved
support and strengthening our fight against GBV.
CCTV Cameras
When we addressed this house exactly 12 months ago, this province did not have
sufficient CCTV camera coverage to monitor crime. Today as we address this house,
we are proud to report back to you that we have over 7 000 cameras working in an
integrated collaboratively manner to make our province safer. These cameras were
made possible by our partnership with Business Against Crime, SANRAL, VumaCam,
and Tinstwalo (a partner from Ekurhuleni Municipality).
As part of our programme to revitalise our CBDs and rid them of crime, lawlessness
and vandalism, we have identified Small Street in Johannesburg, as the first of many
that require our immediate intervention. From now on, Small Street will be under 24-
hour surveillance with CCTV strategically deployed along the area. We are putting up
a permanent deployment of 350 law enforcement officers. When we get it right in Small
Street we will surely succeed in other CBDs in the province.
Cameras are also being used to monitor crime hotspots, including in the 6 provincial
hostels (Goerge Goch, Jeppe, Denver, MBA hostel, Murray and Roberts, and
Rethabile LTA hostels), as well as selected high-risk schools identified by the
Department of Education.
We are serious about the safety of our communities. We, therefore, want ‘Less talk,
more work’!
e-Panic buttons
We have successfully piloted the deployment of e-panic buttons, which operate
through a cellphone app, among staff in Gauteng departments. During the pilot phase,
over 7,900 users, including 1000 Safety Ambassadors, have downloaded the app.
Since its launch between 1 April 2023, and 31 December 2023, there have been 1,379
armed response activations to emergency calls and 1,086 ER24 calls that were
promptly responded to.
We have learnt many lessons from our pilot through the project on how to leverage
existing technologies in the private sector as an alternative to duplicating products and
services.
From the 1st of April 2024, we will now allow the people of Gauteng to use the e-Panic
button to seek help in terms of crime or medical challenges.
Number plate recognition
Stolen and hijacked cars are central to crimes that are committed in our province. The
majority of these vehicle use fake and duplicate number plates. The current number
plates system is running out of the numeric and letters and we need to introduce new
numbers.
The National Department of Transport has developed a draft legislative proposal for
the harmonisation of national plates which includes the security features we want on
Gauteng’s new number plates. As Gauteng, we fully support this direction which will
allow us as of the 1
st of April 2024, to pilot our new numbers that include a track and
trace system. This pilot project will be rolled out on government cars and later with the
general public when the Minister of Transport finalises the bill
Helicopters and drones
When we addressed this house 12 months ago and committed to adding helicopters
to the police fleet, we were ridiculed by some in this very house such as Member
Bosch of the Democratic Alliance who said, and I quote “..how dare Premier Lesufi
make promises that are impractical and unachievable”.
Despite the doomsayers, we are proud to report that we have acquired two new
helicopters and drones that have allowed us to establish the Gauteng Air Wing unit
that did not exist before our last SOPA.
“No sunrise will find us where sunset left us. Days are never counted
backwards!”
These helicopters have been instrumental in our various crime-fighting operations
across the province, such as the operation to combat illegal mining in Roodepoort,
where 85 suspects were arrested, and a variety of illegal mining tools were seized.
Many cash-in-transit attempts, hijacking and vehicle theft attempts have been foiled
through joint efforts between our Air Wing and ground forces. In one operation three
suspects were arrested after a high-speed chase of a vehicle hijacked in Soweto
crashed into a bridge. Ground forces were called, suspects apprehended, firearms
confiscated and recovered, and a hijacked victim was rescued.
All in all, the helicopters have conducted 101 operations between May 2023 and
January 2024. During these operations 255 suspects were arrested, 63 vehicles
recovered and 51 firearms recovered. Based on these successes, we are adding 2
helicopters to our Air Wing fleet.
To complement our helicopter and ground fleets, we deployed drones in crime
hotspots and inaccessible areas such as informal settlements and derelict mining
areas. The drones have been involved in various operations such as High-Density
Operations in Diepsloot, Carltonville, Kliptown, Evaton, Zama Zama operations in
Fochville, Randfontein, Kagiso, Khutsong and Okae Molao operations in Honeydew,
Eldorado Park, Kagiso, DeDeur.
This pilot project was so successful that we are acquiring an additional 30 drones in
partnership with SANDF. Again, the potential for capacity building in this space is
limitless, especially for previously disadvantaged groups. This also ties in with our 4th
Industrial Revolution ideals.
Madam Speaker;
Whether the criminal world likes it or not, a safer Gauteng shall rise! We are all about
‘Less talk and more work!’
State-of-the-Art Provincial Integrated Command Centre (PICC)
We have made strides in the establishment of the PICC. Interim command centres
have been set up to monitor high-crime areas. We are also partnering with SANRAL
to utilise its existing infrastructure to monitor crime on provincial roads. This will feed
into the main PICC upon completion. This integrated Command Centre will also assist
us as we institutionalise disaster management in the province. 900 of our wardens will
also be taken to training in disaster management to ensure our province is prepared.
Gender-based violence and femicide response
Honourable Members
The scourge of gender-based violence remains an area of concern for Gauteng
residents. The most typical crimes in this regard are child abuse, adult trauma resulting
from assault, rape, intimate partner violence in the form of physical and sexual abuse,
as well as femicide (GCRO, 2022). These realities are also confirmed by SAPS crime
statistics, which show that Gauteng contributes approximately 20.6% of sexual assault
cases and 20.4% of rape cases respectively to the national cases.
We have made concerted efforts to implement the Provincial Gender-Based Violence
Plan, which is aligned with the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and
Femicide in partnership with various stakeholders. It is for this reason that when we
assumed office we committed to unleashing resources at our disposal to tackle the
scourges of crime, corruption, lawlessness, and vandalism. This heightened focus on
crime meant incorporating the creation of an e-policing network and ICT infrastructure
to bolster our GBV, school safety and visible policing efforts amongst others.
We rolled out 23 Green Doors, the victim’s empowerment centres (VECs) at police
stations, and shelters, to support survivors of GBV to just under 500 000 households.
We unleashed 34 sexual offence unit cars to respond to gendered-based cases
speedily.
The President, in the SONA, encouraged men to take a pledge against Gender-based
violence. In addition to this, we are calling for our learners to make a pledge against
GBV at schools every Wednesday.
Through our GBVF (Gender Based Violence and Femicide) brigades programme, we
conducted door-to-door awareness campaigns, reaching just under 500 000
households. The Minister of Police hailed our GBV brigades programme as a best-
practice model that should be implemented across South Africa.
ECONOMY
Honourable Speaker,
According to Stats SA, the economy of Gauteng is now bigger than the economy of
the Western Cape, KZN and Limpopo combined. Compared to other provinces,
Gauteng has the largest number of employed people at around 5 million. Despite the
job losses during the devasting COVID-19 pandemic, our economy remained resilient,
and we rebounded with over 449,000 jobs.
During this past year, Gauteng as the country's economic hub, experienced an
increase of 96,300 jobs, with 31,300 jobs in the last 90 days. We are proud to declare
that since the COVID-19 pandemic, our economy is now firmly back on track and we
are ready to pump our economy further.
Our Province has attracted more than R68 Billion in investments from 261 foreign
companies and created about 23,000 direct jobs in our economy. These investments
cut across the ten high-growth sectors of our economy.
Our Province proudly hosted the 5th South African Investment Conference in April last
year, bringing together leading minds in business and government to unlock new
opportunities for growth and development in South Africa. In total, this conference
realised R1.14 trillion worth of investment commitments across a range of economic
sectors, of which R22 Billion are destined for Gauteng.
Economic development corridors (SEZs)
Residents of our Province; During the 6th administration, we committed to corridor-focused economic development through the rollout of Special Economic Zones and the revitalisation of industrial parks, amongst other catalytic projects.
The Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) operations are in full
swing, with the completion of phase 1 of its development seeing the production of the
first next-generation Ford Ranger and the VW Amarok getting into gear in November
2022.
This was the result of a capital investment of R15.8 billion by Ford Motor Company of
South Africa (FMCSA). Ford was looking to increase its capacity to produce 200,000
vehicles annually and export vehicles to more than 100 global markets.
Investment into TASEZ by the Ford suppliers stands at R5,6 billion, with an initial
government investment of R3,9 billion.
This investment enabled the creation of 3,291 jobs within the zone, with more than
65% of these jobs sourced from the surrounding townships. Of these jobs, 39% were
filled by women and 59% by youth.
Further, we have secured investment in partnership with BMW and YFPO to the tune
of R2 Billion, with R 300 million earmarked to construct the facility. The investment
creates 200 jobs during construction and 180 permanent jobs. This facility is advancing
our industrialisation programme and increasing our localisation project.
We welcome the announcement by the Minister of Trade and Industry on the
promulgation of the Vaal Special Economic Zone. This SEZ will build on the
competitive strength of the region and support our efforts to transition onto a low-
carbon sustainable path. Investments of over R8 billion in the green economy, agro-
processing, and manufacturing sectors are expected to break ground in the 2024/25
financial year.
There is a further R40 billion of investments, in various stages of development, that
have been committed by local and foreign investors. The economy of the Vaal will
never be the same again.
GIDZ (ORTIA SEZ)
Madame Speaker, our forebearers had a vision for the creation of a jewellery
manufacturing precinct in the Gauteng province, a first of its kind in the country.
The work that has been undertaken in the zone as part of our endeavour to
reindustrialise our Province as articulated in the GGT2030.
We are working with amongst other De Beers , which has operationalized the diamond
sorting facility and the investment is to the tune of R81 Million and created 89
permanent jobs. In addition, Metcon Gold Refinery has set up a gold refinery facility,
which is an investment of not less than R102 Million and created 100 permanent jobs.
In2Food has set up a fruit and vegetable processing facility, a first of its kind in the
Continent, with the largest refrigeration plant in the world. They have invested R257
Million and created 2500 permanent jobs.
Furthermore, the jewellery precinct has enabled us to open opportunities for SMMEs
who are in the jewellery beneficiation space. There are 14 SMMEs warehoused in the
precinct with active business.
The township economy is our new gold! (TEDA)
Madam Speaker
We are prioritising the economic landscape of our townships through increased
financial and non-financial support to township enterprises. We are starting to see
significant indicators of the birth of new economies in our townships.
Our commitment to buying goods and services from the township enterprises is
starting to bear fruits. Over the past five years, the GPG has spent R15 billion on
businesses from the townships. In the last year alone, we spent R2.2 billion on
township businesses which demonstrates our substantial investment to empowering
township communities, leading to increased economic activities, job creation, and a
positive impact on the unemployment rate.
As we continue to increase government’s spending in townships, we are equally
strengthening the capacity and infrastructure of the township enterprises. In the past
year, over 4 000 township retailers have been trained in enterprise development and
are now capacitated to operate successful businesses.
Madam Speaker;
I now wish to share the story of successful township entrepreneur to illustrate this
point.
Splash Coating Africa, owned by Bonga Masoka, is a 100% youth-owned township
paint manufacturer that empowers women. To date the company has opened 6 retail
facilities at Protea Glen, Ebony Park, Soshanguve, Ga-Rankuwa, Midrand, where they
have a manufacturing plant and a retail store.
The paint can be used for road marking, domestic as well as industrial use. Notably,
the company has recently been onboarded into the Takealot market place. This is one
of many success stories from the township.
Honourable Members;
As part of reclaiming our spaza shops, we have refurbished over 3000 spaza shops
across the Gauteng townships; and established a digital township business register
database with over 20,000 township businesses already captured.
The demand for rental stock in our townships continues to grow. Over 4 million people
rent backrooms which provide much-needed additional income to township
households, and our government is on the ground to support the growth of this
economic sector. To date, 126 landlords have been supported with building loans
resulting in 847 backyard units and the completion of 60 commercial units.
Tourism and Hospitality
The Tourism and Hospitality sector recorded close to 8 million international arrivals.
This generated more than R98 billion in total foreign spending in the local economy.
In the previous year, we supported events that generated R7 billion, and more than
17,000 job opportunities were created.
This is a sector in whose development we need to harness and invest. We will soon
run a campaign called “ Visit Gauteng: Zwakala”
To confirm Gauteng as a preferred destination for both travel and investment, nine (9)
new airline routes have been (re)introduced into our province in 2023 alone.
Visit Gauteng Campaign
Honourable Speaker, Gauteng has many opportunities for untapped markets for the
tourism sector. The government has identified areas like Magaliesburg; Vaal River
City and Suikersbosrand as potential areas for expanding our tourism attraction
destinations.
During the current term of the 6th administration, we commissioned a study to assess
the tourism and economic spin-offs that can be derived from repositioning
Suikersbosrand as one of the best tourism attraction destinations in our province. We
will expedite the commercialisation and soon announce a public-private partnerships.
We will soon be launching the VISIT GAUTENG CAMPAIGN:ZWAKALA to showcase
our tourism attraction destinations in this regard.
TOWNSHIP INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AND HOSTELS (TISH)
Improve the look and feel of the townships
Honourable Members;
Our townships represent who we are and where we come from. They remain special
places but they are in a very bad state. Last year we committed to changing the face
of Townships, Informal Settlements and Hostels. We are now taking this work to
another level with our ambitious programme that will see the undeveloped four rooms
in our townships being changed. Starting with indigent families, through this ANC
government that I have the honour to lead, we will improve the conditions of these
homes.
We will undertake this unprecedented program by recruiting more than 40,000
unemployed township people who will be trained to be artisans, bricklayers,
electricians, and plumbers in a programme called “iCrush le Lova” a date with the
unemployed. All these unemployed will be taken to TVET colleges and SETA
programs to be trained and supported and upon conclusion directed to employment
opportunities.
To realise this, we will also expand our township database of South African architects,
hardware stores, building suppliers and contractors to assist in the design and
construction of upgrades to houses in the townships. Unemployed people in the
townships will be trained and upskilled to be part of this initiative.
Wi-Fi Infrastructure
Honourable Speaker;
The ever-evolving landscape of technology is no longer just a luxury. It is a
fundamental right, which connects communities and fosters inclusivity. We previously
announced that we would provide reliable internet and access to free Wi-Fi in the
townships.
We are pleased to report back that through private sector partnerships (Telkom,
Herotel, Broadband Infraco), more than 50 townships are now covered with
broadband, enabling residents and enterprises alike to access high-speed internet
services at reasonable rates. In the current financial year, more than 42 township
areas have been covered with broadband.
During this term of office, we made investments intended to modernise infrastructure
for the rollout of the Gauteng Provincial Network. This network is being maintained,
ensuring its resilience as a backbone for connectivity. We extended Wide Area
Network (WAN) capabilities to 1,249 sites, Local Area Network (LAN) coverage
reached 719 sites, and 344 sites were equipped with voice capabilities.
Beyond 2024, we will roll out connectivity across all townships. All public institutions,
schools, healthcare facilities and state offices will have dependable WiFi.
Honourable Speaker;
Tarring dusty streets in our townships is a priority. We have noted the state of
deterioration of some of our municipal roads. We identified 40 roads which need urgent
attention in Sedibeng, and we will upgrade these.
We will also upgrade an additional 40 roads in Ekurhuleni, West Rand and 40 more
across informal settlements in Gauteng. That will take us to a total of 120 roads that
will be upgraded in TISH areas.
Our townships and CBDs are dirty and the state of service delivery in many of our
municipalities is on the verge of collapse. As a provincial government, we cannot sit
idle and watch this continued degradation. We will continue to provide environmental
management support to TISH communities through the Bontle ke Botho (BKB)
sustainable clean-ups and greening initiatives to enhance human dignity and instil
pride in communities. We will soon announce the appointment of an implementing
agent to assist with the collection of refuse.
We will get this right if our communities also do their part in ensuring the cleanliness
of this province thereby averting littering and dumping.
Where municipalities fall short, we will appoint an implementing agent to resolve the
water and sanitation challenges in our townships to avert the loss of water due to burst
pipes.
We continue to be concerned with the proliferation of informal settlements in Gauteng.
There are approximately 700 recorded informal settlements in our province, and still
growing. In the immediate, provincial plans are underway to upgrade 68 Informal
Settlements. We are accelerating our plans to decongest and relocate people from
informal settlements to more habitable land. This includes the placement of people in
the completed Mega Projects or other new housing developments.
During the current term, we provided more than 2,000 households from 20 informal
settlements, with the security of tenure through relocation into the completed mega
projects. An additional 64 informal settlements were provided with rudimentary
services, and sixteen (16) informal settlements were provided with bulk services.
The formalisation and upgrading of Informal Settlements into “townships of the future”
remains a key priority for the province to ensure that they are better places to live in.
CAPACITY OF THE STATE
Honourable Members
While we were in the process of establishing our provincial developmental State Bank.
We noted the President’s proclamation of the South African Post Bank Amendment
Act, which will allow for the creation of a State bank. Gauteng is in an ideal position to
be one of the first provinces to transact with this bank.
Our commitment to a clean and accountable government is manifested by enhancing
compliance with legal requirements to prevent unnecessary, irregular, and wasteful
spending. In the 2022/23 financial year, the province obtained 6 clean audits from the
Departments of Office of the Premier, Education, Economic Development, E-
Government, Finance and COGTA and a further 11 clean audits from various
provincial entities. 8 departments achieved an unqualified opinion demonstrating that
where this ANC governs, we govern better, unlike other political parties in our local
sphere in this province.
This is a significant milestone as there were zero departments with qualified audit
opinions, marking a 100% improvement from the previous year. This achievement is
noteworthy as it reflects the commitment to financial transparency and accountability
in the province.
This evening, we are proud to report that eleven (11) of our 14 departments achieved
100% compliance on 30-day payments to suppliers, two achieved 99% and we are
witnessing steady improvement by the Department of Health.
To date we have empowered women, youth, and persons with disabilities we spent
approximately R14.5 billion on enterprises owned by women, youth, and persons with
disabilities during the MTSF 2019–2024 period. We are further proud that as this
government, we have bought goods and services from Township-enterprises
amounting to R2.2 billion.
We want to reiterate to the people of our province that the Gauteng Provincial
Government remain seized with the task of eradicating the evil of corruption as a
matter of principle. We will continue to partner with state agencies such as the SIU,
Public Protector and the PSC.
Revenue enhancement strategy
To date, our revenue enhancement strategies have netted us R32 billion. To further
bolster our revenue collection, we have introduced new and innovative initiatives,
including the direct deposit of vehicle license revenue and the expansion of DLTCs to
enhance service delivery in TISH areas.
INTERVENTIONS
Energy response
The protracted electricity crisis has caused significant hardship for people in our
province and has had a detrimental effect on the growth of Gauteng’s economy. Power
shortages have a negative impact on the availability of healthcare services, food and
water, the level of crime, and unemployment rates, amongst others.
Although energy is not a competency of the province, load shedding’s crippling effect
on the functionality of the state and its impact on broader society compelled us to
intervene.
After extensive consultation with the energy sector, we developed an energy crisis
response plan in collaboration with the national energy committee, local government,
and energy experts. This was followed by the announcement of R1.2bn in funding that
we made during the SOPA.
A five-point strategy was adopted to respond to this crisis: eliminating all illegal power
connections, installing smart meters in every home and business, improving revenue
collection, cleaning the indigent register, and replacing all damaged transformers.
Honourable Members;
As part of our energy plan, we are adding 100 megawatts of electricity to the grid to
mitigate the impact of loadsheading. This is an initiative of the GPG implemented by
City Power on our behalf using the Open Cycle Gas Turbine technology facilities in
Johnware and Durban Street. This will be available from the 1st of April 2024. We will
continue to expand to 300 megawatts in the new financial year. This investment
combined with smart metres can generate the megawatts needed to cushion our
residents against two stages of load shedding, a critical step toward energy stability
for the nation’s economic hub.
“No sunrise will find us where sunset left us. Days are never counted
backwards!”
In our relentless pursuit of energy resilience, we are spearheading a transformative
initiative. Solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems are being integrated
into 21 government healthcare facilities. This past Friday, we unveiled the first of such
facilities at the Diepkloof clinic in Soweto. We are removing health facilities and
schools from being impacted by loadshedding.
This is testament to our unwavering dedication of shaping a resilient energy landscape
for the province!
Solar Farm
We are also pleased to announce that the long-term plan with Sibanye-Stillwater
Board, has approved the land leases of the appointed 6 independent power producers
who will develop a photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar farm cluster, in
Merafong Local Municipality. This is designed to harvest at least 800 megawatts of
solar power and supply it to the electricity grid, which will be a game changer for our
province.
Microgrid
As part of the MOU with City Power, we are rolling out a pilot Microgrid in the
community of Alexandra Township which will provide a stand alone solution to meet
basic power needs for low-income households within townships and informal
settlements.
We will expand into at least 13 more communities across the province in Emfuleni
(Cape Gate, Sebokeng Unit 20 Tshepiso Ext 3 and Ramaphosa), Mogale (Portion 80
Nooitgedacht, Soul City and Portion 11 Honningklip 178 IQ), Merafong (Wedela,
Kokosi Ext 99 and Khutsong South Transit Area), Midvaal (Mamelo) and Rand West
local municipalities (Siyahlala and Jabulane).
Having identified the hardship of many of our communities languishing in the dark,
some for up to 3 years due to illegal connections, cable theft, vandalism, and chronic
non-payment, we intervened to address the situation.
Transformer
Through the Energy Crisis Response Plan, we partnered with Eskom and our
implementing agent City Power to deliver 429 transformers. To date, 333 have already
been installed and switched on, benefitting no less than 32,000 township households.
We have impacted the communities of Kagiso, Boiphelong, Doornkop, Orange Farm
and others. We will intensify this programme until every township and household has
been legally switched on, especially Evaton, Ivory Park, Winterveld and many other
communities.
For Us to Continue, We Need Your Support!
The energy crisis has also had a negative impact on water reticulation and water
treatment. Part of our energy response includes prioritising the provision of
uninterrupted quality water supply and treatment.
We have commenced a programme to mitigate the water supply interruptions brought
about by power outages and loadshedding through the creation of an additional point
from a separate substation to ensure firm electricity supply to the booster stations at
both Eikenhof Pumpstation and Robertsville Rand Water Booster Stations. This
intervention is designed to exclude these stations from the loadshedding schedule and
enhance the reliability of power supply in the main.
As part of preparing for future skills needed in the energy sector, we are proud to
announce that on the 15th of February this year, we launched the Thuto-Tiro
Engineering School of Specialisation in Sebokeng.
NASI ISPANI: BUILDING THE REQUIRED SKILLS FOR THE PROVINCE
Residents of Gauteng;
In our efforts to address youth unemployment, we launched the Nasi iSpani mass
recruitment programme on 16 June 2023. A first of its kind, the programme is a
strategic recruitment drive aimed at addressing unemployment and promoting access
to job opportunities available within the provincial government and its agencies, whilst
enhancing service delivery.
When we addressed this house 12 months ago, words such as Nasi iSpani did not
exist. To date, just on TikTok alone, videos on how to apply for Nasi iSpani have
attracted over 36 million views. The provincial government that I have the honour to
lead can confidently assert, that close to 90,000 young people, the same number it
takes to fill FNB Stadium, are no longer unemployed, hopeless and without the ability
to contribute to their families. If we consider that in South Africa, on average every
employed South African supports 2.8 people, that indicates the impact of the Nasi
iSpani job opportunities and the number of families we continue to touch daily.
Since its inception, the programme has seen various job opportunities through:
• Solar technicians – to address the occupational shortage in the sector;
• Green Army- cleaning and greening our townships;
• Crime Prevention Wardens- a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies;
• Early Childhood Development (ECD) Practitioners;
• Building Inspectors.
• Etc.
Our Province will forever defend the interest of young people. When information
reached us that the 32,000 young people contracted in the Education Assistants
programme were going to join the list of the unemployed, this government that I have
the honour to lead convened all 32,000 on 11th of February 2024 at Dobsonville
Stadium so that we could hand over their them appointment letters. This extension of
their contracts by 6 months will bring much-needed cushioning until the National
Government determines how to intervene.
No sunrise will find us where sunset left us. Days are never counted backwards!
Going forward, we are taking Nasi’ Ispani to the next level!
In partnership with the National Departments of Higher Education (DHET) and
Employment and Labour (DEL) we will massify employment opportunities and targeted
skills development and training. We are targeting 40, 000 young people on the Nasi
Ispani database to take advantage of the 333 opportunities in the labour activation
programmes to be launched in April 2024 by the Department of Employment and
Labour.
In addition, we will ensure that they receive the requisite skills transfer and training
from TVET colleges working with the Departments of Higher Education (DHET). This
opportunity will also be availed to final-year students in the province who could not
complete their studies due to financial constraints.
During Transport Month, we partnered with Diageo to provide 40,000 learners’ license
opportunities to young people. 10,000 of those will be reserved for motorbike licenses
to support the Last-Mile project. The Last-Mile project is a ground-breaking
collaboration between the GPG, Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA),
Radah Skills Academy, UberSA, BoltSA as well as Takealot.
To expand our integrated school health programme, we will appoint two thousand
(2000) unemployed social workers and retired nurses across Gauteng schools. This
forms part of our special support programme for girl children as well as our fight against
drugs.
Our commitment remains to expand opportunities to young people. But the
government cannot do this alone. We call on the private sector to continue to partner
with us.
SOCIAL COHESION/SPORTS AND ARTS/HERITAGE
The People of Gauteng;
Creative industry
Our performance as government in this sector requires attention and improvement.
The government that I have the honour to lead will meet with this sector next month
and fand a concensus.
Since the delivery of the last SOPA, we have lost a number of giants in the creative
industry. One such is the late Mbongeni Ngema. Mr Ngema was one of the icons of
the South African creative industry. We applaud the manner in which he understood
the relationship of art and its social context.
In recognition of his remarkable contribution to the performing arts, we will launch the
annual Mbongeni Ngema Lecture in partnership with the Market Theatre, and the
National Department of Sports, Arts, Culture.
Following consultation with his family, the sector and the community, we will name the
soon-to-be-built Daveyton Hospital after this icon.
To see the house of our founding President Mandela in that state was not only
embarrassing, but it was hurtful. We have resolved, notwithstanding the family
differences, to intervene and restore this house to its original beauty, we owe it to Tata
Mandela.
When days were dark and friends were few, this provincial government stood with
Bafana Bafana and backed them financially. We were the proud host of two key
matches of Bafana Bafana, an AFCON Qualifier and an international friendly before
they departed for Cote d'ivoire. The province of champions can boldly claim to have
actively participated in the journey of Bafana Bafana in attaining the Bronze medal.
We congratulate Bafana on a job well done and wish them more success going
gorward.
I am proud to also announce that this year, for the first time in 8 years, the City2City
Ultra Marathon will take place in Gauteng on 31 March 2024.
HOMELESSNESS
Madam Speaker;
I am passionate about the plight of street children and homeless people sleeping in
our CBDS. No one chooses to be a street kid. No one chooses to sleep in the streets.
We are intervening to assist them in reconnecting with their families, empower them
with skills and most importantly will be offering them warm meals daily and mobile
showers.
We are proud to announce that since our interventions, 3000 beneficiaries have
received skills and exited our homeless program to stand on their own To be homeless
must be permanent
Over the term, we provided a safety net to over 340 000 homeless beneficiaries who
were admitted to homeless shelters, and those reached through homeless outreach
campaigns. We provided 2,782 shelters including 19 Park homes. Furthermore,
through these shelters, we provide daycare services to over 21 000 homeless, where
the homeless received meals, counselling, and referrals to relevant services. About
8097 beneficiaries received life skills training.
We are pleased that over 3000 beneficiaries successfully exited the homeless
programme, some of which were reunited with their families and others placed in job
opportunities.
To strengthen our basket of services to the homeless, we have acquired 5 wash mobile
trailers, trucks, and mobile offices to operate as mobile drop-in centres.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Madam Speakers;
In an article published by Sunday World on 18 February 2024, the former president of
Azapo and Minister, Mosibudi Mangena captures the challenges of drugs in our country when he states that “There is no way our country would be able to deal with
widespread crimes of murder, rape, assault, gender-based violence and others without
having a firm handle on drugs and alcohol availability and excessive consumption in
the country”
To date, the Ke Moja Without Drugs programme has reached over 6 million substance
abusers. We assisted 155 616 service users to access substance use disorder (SUD)
treatment services.
During the administration, 205 071 individuals addicted to drugs were rehabilitated,
including being taken into aftercare facilities. Our substance abuse prevention
programmes reached 15 832 764 beneficiaries. I am happy to announce that we have
entered into a Private Public Partnership with Clinix Health Group of hospitals for the
provision of inpatient treatment services which include 119 Inpatient treatment beds,
200 Outpatient treatment programmes, and 160 Halfway house beds.
After the pronouncement of the massification of substance abuse in October 2022, we
launched the Anti-Substance Abuse Helpline. The campaign increased the demand
for treatment services and by the end of December 2023, a total of 25 402 service
requests were registered with the highest usage being crystal meth, followed by
nyaope.
We have provided various treatment interventions, and 4 851 users received in-patient
treatment services from Government and NPO treatment centres. We provided over 8
000 outpatient services and 8 304 community-based services. Service users in
recovery are linked to aftercare support services to enhance their success in leading
a sober lifestyle. We are pleased that over 700 recovering service users have been
provided with skills development opportunities.
As promised in the 2023 SOPA, we are expanding our drug facilities and bed capacity
to accommodate the growing need for the rehabilitation of drug and substance abusers
in Gauteng. Through a partnership with SANDF on treatment facilities and training
programmes, we are expanding the Dr. F&F facility that will be operational by the end
of June 2024. We will also host a drug open day wherein we will allow all those who
struggling with substance abuse will be be given assistance.
Gauteng province aims to reduce the supply of drugs, we are pleased with our
concerted effort with SAPS and other law enforcement agencies. During this financial
year, we arrested over 26 000 suspects for possession of drugs, and made 43 arrests
for those dealing in drugs.
In this period, R800 million worth of drugs were destroyed in Gauteng. Our concerted
efforts to reduce the vast drug supply need a multifaced approach that includes
targeted police operations. We are pleased that 15 clandestine drug laboratories were
shut down with 21 suspects arrested.
ERADICATING HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY
Honourable Speaker;
As Gauteng, we have declared hunger and food insecurity as enemies of our people.
I am happy to announce that we will launch an e-indigent register, which centres the
child in our poverty alleviation strategy. The e-indigent register will fast-track our swift
response and our consolidated efforts to eradicate urban hunger. All poor people in
our province will register to access the pro-poor basket. We are also resuscitating the
pro-poor basket for all our children.
Ending Urban Hunger through a Child: our new strategy in fighting urban hunger will
see us consolidating our support under one roof of beneficiaries of our school nutrition
program. From the beginning of April, these children will receive:
• free school uniform and books
• toiletries like soap,
• Dignity packs and preventative pills
• Free Data
• Seeds to plant vegetables
• Monthly Food parcel
• And free unlimited data at their households
As part of accelerating food security, we have also handed over 12 tractors to farmers
in the province to the value of R11 million as part of our response to urban farming
and dealing with hunger
No sunrise will find us where sunset left us. Days are never counted backwards!
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Honourable Members
Notwithstanding the challenges in our healthcare system in Gauteng, we have proven
to be resilient in the face of pandemics and outbreaks. We are continuing to restore
the public trust in our health system, and we beginning to see significant improvement
in the provision of healthcare services in a number of our healthcare facilities.
The challenge of surgical backlogs has been a long-standing one and was
compounded by COVID-19 global pandemic with cancellation of electives with huge
impact on society and healthcare in general. True to our commitment of elevating the
needs of the impoverished communities, we commenced with this war on surgical
backlogs in July 2023 during Mandela Day. Through the intervention programme the
backlog has been reduced from 37 000 to 11 747. Our Health practitioners are hard
at work to clear the backlog
This could not have been achieved without the tireless and selfless work of the surgical
teams across public and private facilities within our province. The people of Gauteng
thank you!
The Gauteng Government’s effort to expand screening for priority non-communicable
diseases has seen fruition as indicated by the reduced HIV rate from 12.3 % in 2014
to 3% in 2023.
Significant progress was made in reducing queues and waiting times at our healthcare
facilities through the Centralised Chronic Medicine Dispensing and Distribution
(CCMDD) programme. To date, approximately 1.2 million clients are enrolled in this
programme.
Working together with great South Africans like Mme Daphne Nkosi, Gauteng prides
itself that in this term, we opened the Zakithi Nkosi Oncology Clinic at Chris Hani
Baragwanath Academic Hospital. This is the only public centre in the country which
continues to be a haven for more than 700 children with cancer and life-threatening
blood disorders across South Africa.
We are also proud of the completion of the Nuclear Medicine Research Institution
(NuMeRI) at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, in collaboration with the University of
Pretoria, with R500 million in funding from the Department of Science and Innovation.
This is the first of its kind on the continent which pioneers a one-stop-shop medical
nuclear imaging and theragnostic facility which will be revolutionary in nuclear
medicine.
In preparation for the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI), we are
increasing the capacity of our healthcare system in the province by acquiring 18
existing hospitals through a private-public partnership.
We are moving with speed to implement a Health Information System (HIS) that will
allow for one patient-one file. We are proud to announce that since last November
Mamelodi Regional Hospital went live on this system. We will use the lesson learnt in
Mamelodi as a basis for other hospitals to follow.
With the view to establish a State-owned Pharmaceutical Company, we are concluding
the legal processes to convert our Gauteng Medical Supply Depot into a stand-alone
Schedule 3C public entity, which will operate in the healthcare industry and allow us to
buy bulk medicine directly. This will go a long way in strengthening our supply chain
and distribution processes to ensure that sourcing and delivery of medicines to our
healthcare facilities is done securely, efficiently, and on time.
EDUCATION
Honourable Speaker;
Education is one of our many good stories to tell and remains our number one priority
in Gauteng. Our continued investment lays the foundation for young people to meet
their future aspirations and take Gauteng to its full potential.
Join me in congratulating the class of 2023 on their performance. We further celebrate
the Johannesburg West District who retained the top position nationally for the second
consecutive year, achieving the highest matric pass rate at 92.5%.
I want to acknowledge three learners from our province who managed to score 100%
on some of their final papers in the 2023 exams:
• Ntokozo Coka who obtained 100% in Business Studies;
• Sibonelo Mkhaliphi who obtained 100% for both Accounting and Business
Studies;
• Lastly, Lebogang Usher Selepe who obtained 100% in both Mathamatics and Physical Sciences
One of our most consistent, top-performing township schools is Raymond Mhlaba High
School in Tshepisong, Mogale City. Since 2012, the school has never scored less than
96% and in 2023 achieved a 100% pass rate, with 85% bachelor’s passes. After
transitioning into a School of Specialisation, the school has emerged as a model of
excellence in the fields of Maths, Science and ICT with a curriculum geared specifically
to the needs of the mining industry.
Allow me to single out the excellence of the township schools such as:
• 1st Position: Morgan Lethabo Mahlangu: Rakgotso Secondary School:
Tshwane North District who achieved distinctions in all of his subjects,
including 100% in Mathemetics
• 2nd Position: Ofentse Blessing Matabane: Ponelopele Oracle Secondary
School: Johannesburg East District
• 3rd Position: Sanele Diutlwileng: Daliwonga Secondary School:
Johannesburg Central District
Our homegrown solution to increase access to higher education is through awarding
bursaries to the top 3 learners in all–no-fee-paying. From 2019 to date, we have
awarded 18,046 bursaries. Last month we expanded this programme by unveiling a
R560 million bursary war chest to fund more than 4 000 high-achieving matriculants
from no-fee schools and institutions catering for Learners with Special Educational
Needs in the province.
Many of these learners are from disadvantaged communities in the Townships,
Informal Settlements and Hostels (TISH). I would like to acknowledge Ithembelihle
School for Learners with Special Needs Education which achieved 60% Bachelor
Passes.
18 new schools will be built as part of the R1.5 Billion investment.
TRADITIONAL LEADERSHIP
The Provincial Government remains committed to strengthening the role that
traditional leadership plays in nation-building. We are on the verge of concluding the
work of the commission on traditional leadership, led by Professor Mziwoxolo Sirayi,
which will resolve rightful leadership in our province.
LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES
Madam Speaker;
Noting the sentiments made by the President in his State of the Nation Address about
local government in the country, we are concerned about the state of our
municipalities, especially in matters related to financial management. As we speak,
three (3) of our Metropolitan municipalities and some of the local municipalities have
been given letters by the National Treasury on their inability to spend their capital
infrastructure grants.
We are ready to intervene where municipalities cannot render services to our
communities. We are on in the advanced stage of signing an agreement with Pickitup
so that wherever there is uncollected refuse and dumping our province will step in
and collect. This also goes to flowing sewerage and water where we will ask Rand
Water and Rand West Municipality to assist us.
Usindiso Commission of Enquiry
Following the tragic fire at the Usindiso Building in Johannesburg that claimed the lives
of 77 people, we established the Commission of Enquiry to investigate the
circumstances surrounding the fire, led by Justice Sisi Khampepe. The commission is
making good progress and is expected to complete its work and release a first report
on its findings at the end of March 2024.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Madam Speaker;
We are deeply concerned about the water lettuce situation in the Vaal River. Having
visited the area on the 15 February 2024, we are undertaking the following
interventions:
• The province will support Rand Water on its initiative to use biological control
The weevil feeds on the leaves of the plant and poooulatexrapidly within 4
weeks. This programme will be led by scientists from Rhodes University.
• In order to suppress the rapid spread, the use of approved and registered
herbicides will be implemented in a controlled environment.
• Rand Water will monitor the infestation weekly.
• The province will consider use of Nas’ispani in partnership with Rand Water to
eradicate the floating water lettuce from the Vaal River. Experts are currently
investigating the viability of this control option.
TRANSPORT
Honourable Members;
Seven of the eighteen arterial roads have been completed and handed over. The K73
Allandale Road we completed and handed over last November. We also completed
and unveiled the Henrick Potgieter Road. We will further catalyse the development
and expansion of the areas around Waterfall City and Kyalami. Great progress has
been made with the Winnie Mandela Drive which connects communities such as
Diepsloot to the Western and Northern corridors. Once completed, the Vaal
interchange will trigger economic development in the Vaal region.
We are proud to report that the Gautrain Rapid Rail link is set to bring an additional
148km of rail network to conclude Phase 1, extending from Sandton to Cosmo City,
featuring stops in Randburg and Little Falls in the West Rand.
Working with PRASA, we are actively engaging in initiatives to reinstate rail services
across the Gauteng Province to reduce commuting expenses for people travelling to
work and school. Presently, services have been successfully reinstated on four out of
the eight identified lines.
We welcome the Cabinet approval for a high-speed rail link on the Johannesburg to
Durban corridor. This will reduce our carbon footprint, reduce the cost of doing
business, facilitate ease of movement of people and goods and reduce road fatalities
on the N3 motorway.
We have made strides in establishing the strategic link to the Limpopo Province to
facilitate a modal shift from road to rail along the N1 motorway. This initiative has
multifaceted objectives, including alleviating traffic congestion and fostering economic
growth by facilitating the seamless mobility of commodities for regional and domestic
markets, as well as commuters. Given the magnitude and complexity of the project,
we have planned its execution in multiple phases.
Etolls
People of Gauteng
Last year, we assured the people of Gauteng that e-tolls would be a thing of the past.
I am happy to report that on the 26
th of January 2024 a final meeting was held between
the Gauteng Provincial Government and the Ministers of Finance and Transport
respectively.
We have been able to find common ground on issues related to user pay principle
quantum of GFIP Debt, quantum of sunken CAPEX costs ,CAPEX obligation of the
province, yearly maintenance Costs of GFIP 1, repurposing of Gantries, repayment of
SANRAL GFIP 1 Debt and the Future Funding of GFIP 2 & 3. From where we sit as
the province, we remain confident that we should be able end E-toll by the March
2024.
CONCLUSION
A CALL TO ACTION !
People of Gauteng, Our walk towards a Gauteng of our dreams is on course! We have
made good progress since 1994 to change the socio-economic landscape of our
province. Gauteng of today is not the same as Gauteng of 1994.
We are on course towards a Gauteng of seamless, integrated public transport system;
advanced railway and high-speed rail system; smart mobility solutions, electric
vehicles (EVs) and efficient road systems that connects people with economic nodes,
tourism centres and other provinces.
A Gauteng characterized by inclusive social services and infrastructure with integrated
human settlements; education and health facilities of the future; culture and
transformed public spaces; social cohesion and secure community life.
A Gauteng governed by a capable State that is connected to its citizens through digital
services and smart solutions; green spaces, renewable energy installations, eco-
friendly practices; a society that celebrates diversity and inclusion; and a fairer and
more just society.
In the Gauteng of our future, there should be no informal settlements! Our Townships
would be clean; green; economic productive sites; social and dynamic public spaces.
All our schools will be paperless and supported by advanced Artificial Intelligence
solutions.
Our CBDS will be revamped and transformed into vibrant business and community
centres Vaal river City, Magaliesburg and Suikerbosrand will be new centres of tourism
attracting millions of people to visit our province.
All our health facilities will offer 24 hours services supported by advanced Artificial
Intelligence solutions.
Honourable Members, we are now putting this vision of Gauteng of the future into a
pictorial form, using 3D simulation and other ICT solutions. This will make it possible
for people of Gauteng to see, feel and experience the future in the present moment
with the aid of ICT solutions.
We are calling on the people of Gauteng to participate in the design of these models
of the Gauteng of our future! Let us visualize and showcase a vision of a transformed
and prosperous Gauteng, highlighting its economic activities, social services, and
infrastructure.
I am aware that some of our residents are already designing their future spaces and
places using ICT and Artificial Intelligence solutions. Lets work together towards a
common vision of the province of our dreams. We will soon announce the details on
how all the people of province can get involved, especially the youth in the ICT and AI
space.
Ladies and gentlemen join us, as we become a generation that will eliminate informal
settlements rather than increase them;
A generation that will finally destroy the shackles of poverty;
A generation that will end unemployment;
A generation that will ensure hospitals are hospitals, schools are schools;
A generation that will build new cities and end loadshedding;
A generation of building speed trains;
A generation that will build new superhighways;
A generation that will finally end HIV AIDS and TB;
A generation that will espouse the mantra ‘Less Talk, More work!
Please join this generation, in doing so we will be ridiculed and jokes made out of
these commitments but the Peoples Poet, Mzwakhe Mbuli captures doomsayers’
sentiments beautifully in his poem, entitled “Love them anyway’
“Love them anyway;
Great ideas are blocked by jealous people, love them anyway;
Honesty and kindness may make you vulnerable, love them anyway;
If you are generous and selfless, people will suspect you of alteria motives, love them
anyway;
If you are prosperous and successful you will win false friends and make true enemies,
love them anyway;
People are often greedy and self-centred, love them anyway;
People forget the good you do, love them anyway;
People forget what they should remember and remember what the should forget, love
them anyway;
Love them anyway”
Less talk, more work!!
Executive Mayor of Midvaal Urges Premier Lesufi to Address Critical Issues in Upcoming State of the Province Address
In a candid statement, Alderman Peter Teixeira, the Executive Mayor of Midvaal Local Municipality, has called on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to deliver concrete solutions in his upcoming State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Monday, February 19, 2024. The Mayor expressed concerns over the expected ANC-style presentation, anticipating a rose-tinted view of Gauteng's state with rhetoric highlighting the party's struggle credentials.
Mayor Teixeira emphasized the need for Premier Lesufi to move beyond mere promises and deliver tangible plans to reestablish Gauteng as the economic capital of South Africa. The Mayor urged the Premier to focus on creating an investment-friendly environment, outlining specific strategies for improving infrastructure, combating corruption, and restoring good governance to ensure effective service delivery across departments and municipalities.
Dealing with the Energy Crisis: Urgent Action Required
Addressing the critical issue of the energy crisis, Mayor Teixeira underscored the need for swift action. He pointed out that despite Premier Lesufi's previous allocation of R1.2 billion for energy crisis resolution, the impact of load shedding continues to devastate the province. The Mayor urged increased support for local governments to reduce reliance on Eskom and explore alternative energy sources.
Crime Epidemic: A Comprehensive Plan Needed
Crime rates in Gauteng remain a pressing concern, with Mayor Teixeira highlighting alarming statistics, including an increase in various criminal activities. He urged Premier Lesufi to present a comprehensive plan to protect residents from criminal elements, emphasizing the inadequacy of hiring untrained personnel.
The Mayor suggested a proactive approach, drawing attention to Midvaal Municipality's success in implementing advanced technology to combat crime, such as thermal heat drones, CCTV with number plate recognition software, and the establishment of Community Policing Forum (CPF) groups.
Improving Service Delivery: A Call for Provincial Support
Mayor Teixeira, as the Mayor of one of the only two DA-governed municipalities in Gauteng, expressed envy towards counterparts in the Western Cape, benefiting from the support of a functional provincial government. He called for the involvement of the provincial government to address housing allocation backlogs, repair provincial roads, and improve healthcare facilities.