The Democratic Alliance (DA) accepted on Thursday Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane's challenge to opposition parties to hold the ruling party accountable.

During her State of the Province address on Tuesday, Mokonyane urged opposition parties to "constructively engage" the ruling party in the province and keep it on its toes in order to develop the country's economy.

"The DA's mandate in Gauteng is to hold the Premier to account. We will take up the invitation by the Premier and constructively engage with her," said Gauteng DA leader John Moodey.

In line with Mokonyane's message that it was vital to change mindsets to achieve the ruling party's mandate, Moodey said a change in poor work ethic could only be achieved by applying strict performance appraisal systems.

"Tough talk is going to have to be followed by tough action, and political will to enforce the tough action is going to be paramount.

"It is only when officials lose their jobs that the reality sinks in.

"We will hold the ruling party to account on their electoral and manifesto promises," Moodey said.

In her speech on Tuesday, Mokonyane also promised that the provincial leadership would break with the past and be more accountable.

She warned "greedy" service providers that they could no longer expect government to be a "milk-cow".

Mokonyane also took civil servants to task for their "rudeness and arrogance".

"No more embarrassing stories... the buck stops now," she said during the address in Kliptown, Soweto.