Madam Speaker,
When I was young there was a song by Roberta Flack that contained the lines:
“I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style”.
When Hon. Makhura began his term as Premier in 2014, he sang a good song, and indeed he had a style.
In each of the subsequent years of 2015, 2016, 2017 and so on, people applauded the Premier because he sang a good song and had a style.
But over time, people have discovered the song keeps sounding the same: the same challenges have remained – from e-Tolls to corruption – the same promises kept being made.
Mr. Premier, we can’t keep supporting you simply because you sing a good song and you have a style. We can’t get excited about hearing the same old, same old.
Mr .Premier, surely you understand that you are measured on outcomes, not on effort?
Mr Premier, you can’t say, “My Office is doing well”, even when the SIU says there is at least one crook in your office. You are accountable for the success or failure in the department of Health; you are accountable for the success or failure of Infrastructure Development, and indeed every department under the oversight of every member of your cabinet.
In 2014, the Honourable Premier pledged that “fraud and corruption are prevented and detected early in the value chain to prevent losses.” We also heard that there would be an “urgent turnaround” in the Gauteng Health Department.
These promises have been repeated in one form or another, year after year.
And when the Covid-19 crisis hit, the corruption networks profited and the Premier reluctantly fired former MEC Bandile Masuku, after the fact. Where was prevention “early in the value chain”?
Mr. Premier, you made promises. Not just once. These promises have proven to be empty.
Firing is one thing. What about prosecution?
While health workers risked their lives with inadequate and sub-quality Personal Protective Equipment, parasitic Gauteng employees enriched themselves.
Corruption and irregularities included the R2 billion spent on urgently needed infrastructure to create new beds. Of the beds that the Premier boasted about these were, in various instances, in the wrong places.
Moreover, when beds where provided, there often wasn’t enough staff.
We saw scenes such as Steve Biko Hospital, which was overwhelmed with tents in the parking lot.
The latest Auditor-General’s (AG) report shows that beside the usual financial mismanagement, there has been a rise in irregular expenditure last year and a regression in audit outcomes.
Corruption Watch has found that corruption is four times more likely to occur in Gauteng than in similar-sized provinces such as Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Madam Speaker, I could go on regarding the failures to achieve outcomes. These would include failure to properly oversee local government with examples such as Emfuleni and Merafong; Failure to ensure jobs are delivered through infrastructure development and the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller; Failure to apply consequence management for poor performance and corruption. But time does not permit me to do so.
Honourable Premier, you said it in your own words: “We have lost the trust of the people”. In so doing, you have acknowledged and declared that you are not fit to govern.
Madam Speaker, colleagues, please vote in support of this motion.
I thank you.
