The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng anticipates that Premier Panyaza Lesufi will fail to deliver meaningful solutions to the residents’ challenges in his upcoming State of the Province Address (SOPA). We believe he will make more promises without the genuine intent or ability to follow through on them.
Lesufi has consistently used every SOPA as a platform to satisfy his relentless desire to lie and deceive the people of Gauteng, making grand promises of prosperity, only to deliver disappointment. His arrogance and denialism are staggering, as it is evident that under his leadership—both before and after the establishment of the Government of Provincial Unit (GPU)—Gauteng is heading straight in one disastrous direction: a downward spiral.
If Lesufi truly prioritised the residents of Gauteng, he would start by apologising for deceiving them and squandering their funds on initiatives that have not improved their lives but worsened their situation. During his tenure, the economy of Gauteng has remained stagnant, and there has been a significant drop in investor confidence. The unemployment rate has increased to 34.4% in the fourth quarter from 34.0% in the previous quarter. This is according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the fourth quarter. The number of unemployed people has also increased from 2,593, 000 in the third quarter to 2, 667, 000 in the fourth quarter and an additional 602, 000 discouraged individuals who have abandoned their job search in the province. We need real solutions to curb unemployment not short-term employment opportunities.
The DA Gauteng has long warned that for our economy to grow, infrastructure deficits must be addressed. This noble call has been flatly ignored. Lesufi’s government has failed to maintain and improve our infrastructure. This has been confirmed by his own MEC for Finance, Lebogang Maile, revealing that water pipes, electricity grids, and roads in some areas are more than 50 years old and on the verge of collapse as municipalities lack the funds to replace decaying infrastructure, which leads to service failures, water leaks, and electricity disruptions.
The province’s lack of adequate infrastructure directly affects our learners. They are packed into classrooms like sardines because the Gauteng government has not built enough schools or provided temporary classrooms to address the overcrowding. The consequences are also dire for residents in municipalities like Emfuleni, where people are without water and electricity for weeks and navigate streets filled with sewage. It would be wise of Lesufi to tell Gauteng residents what he will do to support municipalities. But as we know, all his promises will never materialise.
Residents of Gauteng will once again hear about the supposed successes of crime-fighting initiatives, such as the crime prevention wardens (Amapanyaza) implemented under the Nasi Ispani programme. However, the rising crime rates , safety and security issues facing our residents will not be mentioned.
Lesufi will claim progress in tackling housing challenges but won’t acknowledge that the waiting list has surpassed 1.2 million beneficiaries, with some waiting since 1996. He will talk about improving hostels, forgetting that he has boldly made a false claim that he is only responsible for six hostels out of 65 under the Hostel Redevelopment Programme.
Moreover, there will be no explanation for why the Gauteng government is squandering taxpayers’ money on legal fees to defend its disgraceful failure to pay Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs). This failure has put vital services for the vulnerable people of Gauteng at risk, forcing some to shut down.
We have little hope for the 2025 SOPA. It seems likely to offer only empty promises and fail to deliver any reports of success on previous commitments to inspire the people of our province. Why? There’s been no progress to report.
The residents of Gauteng are growing increasingly frustrated with unfulfilled promises that have failed to bring about real change in their lives. They are demanding a government that will revitalise the provincial economy to attract investment and create sustainable jobs. They want a government committed to investing in and maintaining infrastructure instead of returning unspent budgets to the Treasury. Safety is a major concern, and they wish to feel secure rather than be assured of their safety. They are also tired of waiting for housing solutions. Ultimately, they desire a government that genuinely cares for the poor and vulnerable and not exacerbates their struggles. Only the DA can deliver such a government.