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Budget documentation has indicated that Gauteng residents will have to fork out R4.7 billion to fund Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s so- called “elevated priorities”. Included in this amount is R955 million allocated to fund crime prevention wardens.

It is believed that the allocation of budgets for these “elevated priorities” resulted in insufficient funds being available for NPOs in the social development sector. Some of these NPOS’, who take care of vulnerable people, were forced to withdraw their services or close down.

When Premier Lesufi first took office in October 2022, he announced several key areas of focus for his administration. This included job creation through temporary jobs, setting up a crime prevention wardens’ unit and support for South African spaza shop owners.

In addition, Lesufi announced bursaries for students, drug rehabilitation facilities, completion of infrastructure projects in townships and the resurrection of the dormant upgrading of informal settlements program.

The fact that most of the “elevated priorities” were targeted at townships, informal settlements and hostels (TISH], and were furiously implemented in the runup to the 2024 elections, resulted in Lesufi being accused of populism, nepotism and dishing out enticements to his party’s supporters in return for votes.

Notwithstanding Lesufi’s protestations to the contrary, he had difficulty convincing people that he was not using public funding to drive his party’s election campaign.

The people of Gauteng were not fooled by Lesufi’s gimmicks as the ANC has since lost its majority in the province, winning only 36% of the vote and being forced to form a minority government.

We are committed to ensuring that every cent of public money is spent efficiently, provides value for money and benefits all residents. We frown upon the manipulation of budgets to meet narrow political objectives.

The DA will continue to provide robust oversight over Lesufi’s executive to ensure that public funds are utilised for service delivery and clean governance.

Issued by Alan Fuchs MPL - DA Gauteng Spokesperson for the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA)