Note to Editors: Please find a soundbite in English by DA MPL, Michael Waters here.
The failure by Gauteng Premier Lesufi on his broadband promises is leaving township residents, learners and jobseekers on the wrong side of the digital divide. The Department of e-Government, tasked with increasing internet connection in the province continues to fail in meeting its targets for rolling out the Gauteng Broadband Network.
Many schools and libraries across the province are not connected to the internet due to this department’s failure to meet its targets. This is affecting residents’ access to information and learners’ access to quality education.
This is despite Premier Lesufi in his State of the Province Address (SOPA) boasting about expanding the Gauteng Broadband Network to provide internet in townships.
According to the Gauteng Department of e-Government’s third quarter report for the 2025/2026 financial year, the department missed its target of providing 40 sites with Wide Area Network (WAN) access, as only 22 sites were provided. Only six sites were provided with Local Area Network (LAN) access instead of the target of 30 sites. Furthermore, WiFi was meant to be rolled out at 50 sites, but only 19 were connected.
The DA will raise this issue in the Portfolio Committee for e-Government at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and ask that the department provide details on why the targets to roll out internet access have not been met for years.
Gauteng residents are tired of this empty promise. We will continue to hold Premier Lesufi accountable for his failure to deliver on his promise to expand connectivity across the province by linking schools, clinics, hostels, libraries, and public Wi-Fi hotspots through the Gauteng Provincial Network.
A DA-led government would immediately prioritise the rollout of internet access in all the identified public spaces, libraries, and schools.