Gauteng residents and political parties call for action after Lesufi's SOPA

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi's recent apology to residents regarding the province's ongoing service delivery challenges has not stopped murmurs of discontent voiced by civil society organisations and opposition political parties.

Lesufi's administration has been accused of failing to address critical issues such as water shortages, crime, unemployment, and infrastructure decay that have plagued the region for years.

Lesufi’s State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Monday focused on a range of issues, including water shortages, crime, unemployment, illegal mining, and infrastructure challenges, which he previously identified as Gauteng’s major problem areas.

Lesufi stated that the province has achieved significant progress in tackling crime, repairing potholes, fixing street lights, and infrastructure development, as outlined in his previous SOPA, which identified 13 priority areas.

Part of this year's priorities include a R7 billion waste-to-energy project, efforts to protect 700 jobs affected by Nissan’s restructuring, and a R1.9 billion investment by Heineken International to boost job creation in the province.

The DA in the province, through its chairperson, Solly Msimanga, said instead of delivering much-needed service delivery to the residents of Gauteng, the premier has apologised for not doing his work, despite having all the resources.

"Gauteng residents are tired of apologies that are not followed by corrections on the ground. Lesufi's apology means nothing when it is not followed by urgent action that improves people's lives. Last year, he did the same, apologised, and failed to deliver. The only solution left is for him to inform the residents of Gauteng that he has failed to govern this province," Msimanga said following Monday's SOPA.

A resident of Hammanskraal, Thami Mthethwa, one of the many townships and suburbs affected by the ongoing water challenges, spoke of the pain of losing more than 20 people due to diarrhoea in 2024, with a total of 48 typhoid fever cases having been reported in Hammanskraal, Bronkhorstspruit, and other parts of Tshwane since January 2025.

"I was hoping that the premier would speak a language of saying we lost people in Hammanskraal. Instead, they are not saying anything about the issue. He is only promising. I am not sure what the Government of Provincial Unity is saying about the people of Hammanskraal. The premier and the national government promised that they would come and address us on this water crisis. Yet, we are still suffering even now," he stated.

According to Mthethwa, some parts of his township are still without running water, despite promises to fix water infrastructure challenges in Tshwane.

"The people of Hammanskraal are suffering. As a resident of Hammanskraal, I am still not happy with what the premier has said. We are tired as a community of Hammanskraal; if you came to see us, you would see for yourself how bad the situation is there." 

Msimanga criticised Lesufi's new promises, stating that he is "Yet again, (offering) the same old promises that we have heard before."

He emphasised the severity of the service delivery crisis in the province, which he described as "currently on life support", citing ongoing community protests demanding necessities like water and electricity, despite Lesufi's pledges to all residents.

Gauteng EFF's Nkululeko Dunga described Lesufi's address as nothing short of grandstanding, adding that the deployment of the army into the province signals a failure by the police and Lesufi's administration in tackling crime and lawlessness.

"The speech was some form of political grandstanding. The deployment of the army is a vote of no confidence against him. In the establishment of this particular government, he took the department of public safety under him, and we have not seen any positive results," he stated. 

The GOOD Party, through its national chairperson, Matthew Cook,  advised Lesufi to go to the ground to check the status of water challenges before claiming that his administration is winning the fight against the crisis.

"Before making such declarations, the premier should check the taps because in many communities across Gauteng, they are still dry. Residents continue to endure inconsistent supply, low pressure, and extended outages. Announcing restoration from a podium does not equate to reliable water in households. The much-referenced Brixton Reservoir project, cited again in this year’s address, was scheduled for completion more than a year ago." 

siyaonga.sithole@inl.co.za