Johannesburg - ActionSA Gauteng chairperson Bongani Baloyi has called on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to solve the province’s economy and energy problems, which continue to cripple the province, ahead of the premier's maiden provincial address later this afternoon.
Baloyi has warned Lesufi to avoid being a populist and to deal with issues in a very practical and pragmatic manner, adding that the province's economic recovery and crime prevention should be his priorities.
This comes two days after Lesufi addressed an e-policing round table discussion in Soweto, where he promised to ramp up efforts in the fight against crime.
The premier said a multi-sectoral approach would be taken to fight crime and turn the fortunes of the province around.
"When Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi delivers his first State of the Province (SoPA) address tomorrow evening, he should not attempt to announce populist plans but instead focus on getting the basics right, such as economic recovery, crime, and corruption,“ Baloyi said in a statement.
"Premier Lesufi should also not seek to use his maiden SoPA as an attempt to separate himself from (predecessor David) Makhura as he was in Makhura’s cabinet when Covid-19 PPE corruption occurred; he was there when Life Esidimeni occurred where 144 died, and he was there when whistle blower Babita Deokaran was killed.“
ActionSA also wants the premier to focus his attention on formulating a practical and comprehensive post-Covid-19 economic recovery and re-industrialisation plan, after Makhura’s plans delivered little to no results.
"Among these may include using the existing expanded public works programme to provide work opportunities to more people, especially young people, to help fix the potholes in our roads, clear public spaces, and improve service delivery," Baloyi said.
Another area of focus that ActionSA seeks to hear from the premier is the strategy to address load shedding, which has seen the country plunged into darkness since the start of the year.
This week, Eskom announced that it will be implementing stage 6 load shedding due to the breakdown of eight generating units on Sunday afternoon.
"A provincial strategy to address load shedding should also be announced as it is one of the biggest obstacles for the provincial economy, while corruption investigations should be completed and unethical public servants should be held accountable," Baloyi added.
Baloyi said if the premier was able to address some of the challenges facing citizens and communities in the province, Gauteng would soon return to its former glory.
The Star