/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

After nearly eight years of Premier David Makhura being the leader of Gauteng, one must ask: Is this province getting better? Is there hope? Are we heading in the right direction?

Simply put, the answer to all the above is a hard no.

Crime is at an all time high.

No one is spared, not our mother, sisters, children fathers or brothers – not you, not I.

Don’t take my word for it – look at the latest crime statistics.

Gauteng SAPS Stations dominate the top 30 of all crime stats across the country with a severe increase in crimes like hijackings, murder, and sexual offences. From January 2022 to March 2022, the following cases have been reported; 1403 murder cases, 2936 hijackings and 2267 cases of sexual offences.

And why is crime so high?

Because little to nothing has been done to arrest unemployment in this province. Poverty and desperation are the foundations on which criminal activity is borne.

Currently, there are 2.6 million unemployed Gauteng residents, while 680 000 people have given up on looking for work.

If you are a young person in this province, your chances of finding sustainable employment to support you and your loved ones are slim to none.

If you live in an informal settlement, you more than likely not only face the indignity of living in filth and squalor, you are the main recipient of both crime and unemployment.

Millions upon millions of Rands are lost to corruption in building projects across this province.

Projects aimed at building houses, schools, clinics – all of which are imperative to a prosperous society, are strangled by the tentacles of corrupt cadres.

None of this money has ever been recovered because there is simply no political will to do so.

I am tired, just as you are tired of not only the excuses for this failure – which are endless, but of the lack of accountability and transparency exuded by this provincial government under David Makhura.

Go back at least 4 State of the Province Addresses ago and you have heard about all the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) reports – the outcomes of which are imminent.

Its 2022 and the outcomes of these are still unknown.

And while these have been finalised – more have been added to the list.

R500 million worth of funding amounted to wasteful expenditure on the white elephant, Anglo-Ashanti Hospital which was never used to remotely to its capacity.

The Department of Health saw R2.2 billion of public funds devoured by well-connected cadres, one of whom served in Makhura’s cabinet, through the hyperinflation of the price of PPE at the height of a global pandemic.

The decontamination and sanitising of schools at prices beyond reason is another – this at a time when barely any teacher or learner was physically in attendance at school.

This R431 million wasteful expenditure could have been put to better use than lining the pockets of tenderpreneurs.

The unyielding desire for theft by this government knows no bounds.

Six years and two administrations on, we are still awaiting the outcome of the “game-changing” lifestyle audits on

Members of the Executive – Makhura himself included.

What ill-gotten gains are being squirreled away? This is the only logical reason for these not yet being released.

Gauteng residents are still awaiting the long overdue outcome into the criminal investigation into the Bank of Lisbon Fire.

If there is nothing to hide, then why has the Premier not released the findings?

At the time of the fire, then MEC for Infrastructure Jacob Mamabolo indicated that the building was only 21% compliant. More than likely, the delay is an attempt to shield implicated cadres.

This is more than likely true for the delay in releasing findings relating to the fire at Charlotte Maxeke hospital.

It is beyond thinkable that such a crucial institution could catch fire in the first place. It is criminal that to date no one has been held to account.

I could go on endlessly about the challenges facing residents under this government. There is a myriad of reasons why Makhura must go.

As a party of action, I will not drone on incessantly.

The DA in Gauteng will be tabling a motion of no-confidence in Premier David Makhura.

It is time this province and its people were served by someone who legitimately wants to make a change and improve their lives.

The days of vapid leadership are numbered.

Issued by Solly Msimanga MPL - DA Gauteng Provincial Legislature Caucus Leader