ActionSA and the Democratic Alliance (DA) have expressed disappointment with Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s State of Province Address (SoPA), saying he delivered empty promises and made false proclamations of progress.

Lesufi delivered his SoPA on Monday, where he promised to focus on job creation and crack down on crime.

ActionSA Gauteng provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni said “it is obvious” that Lesufi’s administration is deluded and disconnected from reality as millions of residents in Gauteng continue to suffer.

“When one looks beyond the abhorrent conduct displayed in the chamber, the harsh reality is that, since his last SoPA, Premier Lesufi, just like his predecessor, has failed to respond decisively and deliver on his promises to improve the declining living standards of many in Gauteng, who are plagued by unemployment and ongoing loadshedding, among several other challenges,” he explained.

Gauteng leader of the opposition DA Solly Msimanga noted that “as expected” Lesufi had not offered residents any real solutions to improve their well-being.

“Once again, the Premier has given us pipe dreams instead of proper solutions to the constant service delivery issues faced by residents daily. As expected, the economic corridors were at the top of the Premier’s list. According to the Premier, each of the corridors has attracted investors and created jobs. However, the reality on the ground is that many of the special economic zones are not operating properly,” he explained.

Msimanga highlighted that there was no solution from leadership to the ongoing loadshedding; instead, finding a solution had been kicked back to the municipalities, who were already unable to provide basic services such as refuse removal and a reliable supply of water and electricity.

“Instead of ensuring that all our residents are given dignified housing, emphasis is instead placed on the upgrading of townships, informal settlements, and hostels. The Premier has also failed to name which hostels have been upgraded. Yet the Democratic Alliance has visited many informal settlements and hostels that have not had any upgrades and where our residents continue to live in squalor,” he explained.

He noted that the provincial government was constantly failing to meet the target of releasing land parcels to eradicate informal settlements.

AMAPANYAZA

Meanwhile, Ngobeni claimed that millions of rands had been wasted as the Crime Prevention Wardens, better known as ­AmaPanyaza, were being paid to listen to a speech rather than serve their purported purpose of fighting crime. He described AmaPanyaza as Lesufi’s private militia, who were "a law unto themselves".

“We further demand that the wardens be pulled from the streets to receive adequate training from accredited institutions while drawing from the thousands of skilled South African Police Services reservists with years of experience,” he added.

Msimanga questioned the need for deployment of the South African National Defence Force if, as Lesufi said, the rollout of the hundreds of crime wardens was so successful.