Failure by the Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s office to conduct a skills audit for the 2023/2024 financial year is putting service delivery at risk.
This information was revealed in the 2023/2024 annual report for the Office of the Premier. According to the report, the skills audit could not be completed this year because of the recommendations contained in the functional analysis that was required before the audit could commence.
Given the elevated priorities that Premier Lesufi rolled out last year, it is clear that without knowing what additional skills may be needed, the upgrading of our townships, informal settlements and hostels will be negatively impacted.
To ensure effective service delivery to the residents of this province it is of utmost importance that all government departments be adequately staffed with personnel who possess the correct skills to ensure that projects undertaken by the office are completed on time and within budget.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has already submitted questions to the Office of the Premier for an oral reply regarding the delays in completing the skills audit and the exact reasons why the functional analysis which has been completed negatively impacted the skills audit.
The DA has consistently been calling on Gauteng Provincial Government departments to conduct a skills audit to determine what skills they have and what skills are urgently needed to ensure seamless service delivery to the residents of Gauteng, but our demands have been ignored.
A DA-led provincial government would embark on a skills audit across all departments to ensure that the competent officials with the skill set needed are appointed where the department falls short.
Gauteng residents deserve a government committed to putting the residents first and ensuring that only the best services are delivered.