The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng demands that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi provide details of the summit he plans to hold with potential investors about addressing illegal occupation of buildings in the inner city of Johannesburg. The unlawful occupation of these buildings has been marked by incidents of fire, leading to unnecessary deaths and injuries among the occupants.
During a recent media briefing, Premier Lesufi presented a report on his government’s first 100 days in office. He announced that the Gauteng government plans to hold a summit with potential investors to encourage them to invest in the Johannesburg CBD.
Premier Lesufi also highlighted that the City of Joburg has over 180 hijacked buildings in the inner city, some city owned. He emphasised that revitalising the Johannesburg CBD and addressing the issue of hijacked buildings is a priority for the government of provincial unity.
Premier Lesufi, as has become a practice when announcing initiatives, has failed to provide any details about the summit, who will be invited, and what incentives will be given to motivate private sector investment in the inner city of Joburg.
This statement appears to be another promise in a long list of wishes. The Premier is reminded that his lack of involvement in the restoration of the inner city of Joburg merely reinforces his lack of commitment to finding solutions to the many problems in the inner city.
The Premier should have used this opportunity to present specific actions taken by the minority government to address the ongoing issue of hijacked buildings in the CBD, but he chose to misinform and mislead our citizens.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has submitted questions to the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), to ascertain the steps the government will be taking to address the issue of building hijackings and the associated dangers. We eagerly await her response; however, with how things are going, significant change is not on the horizon.
A DA government would work with building owners and stakeholders to tackle the issue of hijacked buildings. We would prioritise relocating occupants, combating building hijackers, and repurposing condemned structures. These are practical plans aimed at genuinely addressing our people’s concerns rather than misleading statements that merely comfort them while the city burns.
A DA government will end Gauteng’s infrastructure decay with its Infrastructure Rescue Plan, which involves forming a multi-stakeholder Integrated Infrastructure Management unit to overhaul all planning, monitoring, implementation, and infrastructure maintenance.