Note to editors: Please find attached soundbite by Solly Msimanga MPL.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s announcement that the City of Johannesburg’s water and electricity supply will remain secure and uninterrupted throughout the G20 Summit is a slap in the face of many residents who are facing severe service delivery issues. Instead of finding lasting solutions to the ongoing plight of Gauteng citizens, which includes water and electricity outages, potholes, and decaying infrastructure, Lesufi has once again opted for quick fixes designed to grab headlines.
Water and electricity outages have long been a source of frustration for residents across Gauteng. Potholes are as common as daybreak, while many streetlights and traffic lights have not been functional for almost a year. Yet only now has the Lesufi-led administration finally woken up from its slumber and decided to act.
This is an insult to the people of Gauteng and clearly demonstrates that Premier Lesufi would rather stage a cover-up before the world than focus on fixing our infrastructure to serve residents who are being denied access to the most basic services, despite paying their utility bills.
The sudden amplification of service delivery operations ahead of the global event is also a mockery of our people, as it exposes that poor service delivery is not due to a lack of resources, but rather the failure of the Lesufi-led minority government to implement essential infrastructure upgrades that would provide permanent solutions to the service delivery crisis in our province.
While it is disappointing to see that money is being wasted on this expensive cover-up, it is not surprising. Lesufi has mastered the art of temporary fixes that leave lasting scars on the Gauteng residents. He launched the AmaPanyaza programme in defiance of all warnings, only to disband it less than 24 months later. He introduced the Nasi iSpani job initiative on the eve of elections, only to discontinue it and then announce its comeback.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng challenges Lesufi to present a clear plan on how the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) intends to sustain this improved level of service delivery beyond the summit.
The residents of Gauteng can no longer be treated as mere weekend specials by a Premier obsessed with saving face to hide his incompetence. They need uninterrupted water and electricity beyond the G20 Summit. They need well‑maintained roads and functioning traffic lights to end fatal crashes. They need a safe and clean Johannesburg CBD throughout the year, not when the world descends on our province.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would implement a comprehensive infrastructure plan to ensure permanent improvements in service delivery across the province, instead of throwing money at temporary fixes during global events, as this could be likened to putting lipstick on a pig.