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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng does not expect Premier Panyaza Lesufi to offer anything new to improve the lives of our residents during his State of the Province Address (SOPA) tomorrow.

If Lesufi truly cared about the residents of this province, he would take them into his confidence and admit that all the initiatives he announced earlier this year were only an electioneering campaign. The recent termination of the teacher assistants, who were promised that their one-year contracts would be extended for another 12 months, is one example. 32 000 teacher assistants are now without income, and their families will struggle to survive.

Furthermore, the crime prevention wardens (Amapanyaza) appointed under the Nasi Ispani programme have not made a dent in reducing crime in the province. Residents in areas riddled with gangsterism are still living in fear, although around 6 000 crime prevention wardens have been deployed.

The economy of this province can only flourish if the current government creates the correct environment for the private sector to invest in the province. It is not the government's responsibility to create jobs, but to create a conducive environment for the economy to grow. For investor confidence to be boosted, crime should be curbed, and corruption must be rooted out. Furthermore, the water and electricity infrastructure should be fixed.

In addition, Premier Lesufi must outline a detailed plan regarding all departments, including those that have been given to smaller parties in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), as well as departments that have now been merged with other departments and the Office of the Premier. Furthermore, the Premier must tell us where his Nasi Ispani programme is getting its funding from.

Every year, Premier Lesufi has told the residents of this province that lifestyle audits are underway and will be completed soon. It is now time for action, not just talk. Lifestyle audits need to be made available to the public as a matter of urgency.

Furthermore, every year we are told about plans to fight corruption in this province, yet there is nothing tangible to show for this. The Premier’s office was meant to release one fraud detection report during the last financial year, but this has not been done. In addition, forensic reports are still not complete, which means no action can be taken.

Asbestos schools are still not eradicated, despite numerous promises by Premier Lesufi that they will be a thing of the past. Instead, millions of rands have been wasted, and no progress has been made to eradicate asbestos schools.

Premier Lesufi cannot expect to fix this province if he does not admit that there is a problem. If the election results are anything to go by, then it is clear that the majority of Gauteng residents have lost faith in Premier Lesufi.

A DA government will ensure that all job creation targets set out in the Annual Performance Plans of the various departments are met. The DA will ensure that residents who do not have access to institutions of higher learning are taught practical skills. Furthermore, instead of having elevated priorities, we will ensure the completion of all infrastructure projects and continued maintenance of various infrastructures including roads, schools and hostels.

As the DA, we will only appoint service providers capable of completing projects on time and within budget. Where it emerges that the contractor is unable to complete a project, we will blacklist the contractor from doing business with the government. The DA will prioritise conducting and publishing lifestyle audits of all members of the executive and heads of departments. This will ensure good governance, transparency, and accountability.

Issued by Solly Msimanga MPL - Official Leader of the Opposition- Gauteng