SPEECH ON THE DEBATE ON PREMIER’S STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS BY MRS. GLENDA STEYN DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON 26 FEBRUARY 2015

Mr Premier, in the week of your birthday, I believe that we should all give you a gift. I also believe that that the members on this side of the House have done just that. Happy birthday, Mr Premier – your gift is some solid advice and critique of your government, its plans and its performance since your last State of the Province address.

I reiterate what I said last year. I want to believe that the Premier will be successful in carrying out his objectives. It would refreshing to praise and not criticise.

But I am less enthused than I was last year and I wonder whether the successor in title to our previous Premier, Nomvula Mokonyane, will also be the successor in sentiment. Are we going to have a huge number of promises annually and very little action?

We commend you for highlighting the economy as a primary issue in getting this province into its rightful place but wonder whether you have the right people around you to do it. For instance you “announced” the aerotropolis in Ekurhuleni which is actually a programme initiated in 2010 as if it was the “fix-all” for your eastern corridor. In the last five years, as my colleagues have told you, it has been a drain on the Ekurhuleni budget and the excuse for international travel for the ANC mayor and his mayoral committee.

Do you have the right people around you Mr Premier? Is the Mayor of Ekurhuleni, or the mayors of the other councils, the right people to realise your dream, and may I add our dream too, to “transform, modernise and re-industrialise this beautiful and resilient province”

Any economic revival would require a dedicated, knowledgeable and transparent MEC too. I’m sure you would agree. You also call for an “accountable, responsive, transparent and clean government”. That same MEC, charged with economic development, resorted to personally abusive and racial statements in a Public Accounts hearing because he was being held accountable, asked to be responsive and transparent and to demonstrate that we have a clean government.

Do you have the right people around you Mr Premier?

In order to have an accountable, responsive, transparent and clean government, another aspiration which this side of the House shares with you, you need Heads of Departments who are willing to acknowledge flaws and initiate firm action to mitigate weaknesses. The HOD of Community Safety submitted vague, obscure and in some instances, inaccurate responses, to SCOPA in last week’s Public Accounts hearing. I would add that the responses were signed off by the MEC.

Do you have the right people around you, Mr Premier?

Annually, SCOPA makes recommendations to this House on how to make the Provincial Government accountable, responsive, transparent and clean. In the 11 years I have served here, all these recommendations have been adopted and become House resolutions. I could give you an incredibly long list of resolutions of this House which have been ignored or only partially complied with. Most of the guilty MECs and senior officials remain in positions of extreme responsibility regardless of their contempt of the House.

Do you have the right people around you, Mr Premier?

My colleague, Dr Neil Campbell referred to the poor use of our traffic police who, in his words, “seem only able to man speed taps, solicit bribes and gridlock the cities by amateurish point duty such as happened on Monday”. Are you aware that police and security personnel refused passage way to this building to at least 3 opposition MPLs to hear the State of the Province. I personally was told, by a self-confessed ANC supporting officer, that I may not access the area because I was not an ANC member.

I repeat, Mr. Premier, do you have the right people around you?

I reiterate the comments of my colleagues. There has to be a referendum on the public attitude to e-tolls and you must fulfil your promise to stand by the wishes of Gauteng citizens in rejecting e-tolls unconditionally. Mr Premier, you took a bold stand on the matter nine months ago and we appreciate that there are many around you in your party that disagree, but you are the Premier of Gauteng and Gauteng demands action.

You need the right people around you, right here in Gauteng, to oppose, with the same strength you demonstrated last year, Sanral, the National Department of Roads and Transport and the ANC outside of this province who seem determined to subject our province to e-tolls.

Yesterday the Minister of Finance referred to the government’s habit of not paying suppliers within 30 days as stipulated by the PFMA. He said that departments’ timeous payment of accounts would be a factor considered when renewing the contracts of Accounting Officers as well as assessing their performance.

In Gauteng this is a huge problem, with the Departments of Education and Health being significant offenders. You may have noticed the drop in unauthorized expenditure last year but have you compared it to the accruals in excess of 30 days? Mr. Premier, Departments in Gauteng, have, in my considered opinion, breached the PFMA by neglecting to pay suppliers in order to avoid unauthorized expenditure. This has a knock on effect on the ability to deliver services in this financial year.

I would also add Mr. Premier, that your office still owes money to the Department of Community Safety since the 2014 financial year. We are now almost at the end of the 2015 financial year.

Mr. Premier, will you and your MECs have the power of your convictions to penalize Accounting Officers by not renewing their contracts if they do not ensure that suppliers are paid within 30 days? Mr. Premier, do you have the right people around you to take on this task?

There is another quote from your speech which I would like to align myself to. You said “drugs and alcohol abuse remains a major problem in our communities”. I couldn’t agree more. I ask you then, can you imagine the frustration of the police in Springs when an alleged drug dealer is apprehended, just this month, with drugs to the value of R1 000 000 and is granted bail of R500. Where is the justice in that? You say that you will “intensify the implementation of our comprehensive response”. All the treatment centres and one-stop centres in the province will be swimming against the tide if the supply of drugs goes unabated.

Mr. Premier, do you have the right people around you to deal with this problem?

Mr. Premier, I recommend that you look to your right, look behind you, look at the MECs and consider all the promises you made on Monday, all the dreams you shared, all the plans you have made, all the strategies you implemented and ask yourself, “is the team I have around me, the right one to make these aspirations a reality?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact: Cell 082 456 3252

SPEECH ON THE DEBATE ON PREMIER’S STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS BY MRS. MIKE MORIARTY DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON 26 FEBRUARY 2015

Madam Speaker

 

I’d like to begin by quoting from John Lennon’s song, “Imagine”

Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

On Monday the Premier dared us to imagine a future state of our province.

He was honest enough to admit to a few “challenges”. The ANC doesn’t admit to problems, only challenges. They certainly don’t admit to any failures.

But, the Premier told a good story of our province’s future. I truly hope that he succeeds in delivering this future. Indeed, we should all hope for this.

It is easier to tell a good story of a future we can imagine and hope for. It is harder to tell a good story of a present reality.

A newspaper described the Premier’s words as “bold”. That is certainly true.

Because the Premier staked his reputation on billions of rands of infrastructure that must be built by municipalities and PRASA and others. But he has no control over their success or failure. He has stated with certainty that private investors will commit billions and bring jobs. But investors are driven by confidence. And confidence is born of sound and consistent policies and good governance. These are largely in the hands or President Zuma. Whether you consider our president broken or not, he is not inspiring confidence. This too, is beyond the Premier’s control.

But what is within the Premier’s control?

Roads? Yes, certainly. Mr Premier you’ve told us about corridors, how about telling us about improving the roads; roads that will get our citizens in Merafong to and from those places where you said jobs would be created in the West Rand.

Moreover, do you want to put R8bn into our economy? Then forget about shifting the burden of ETolls from one lot of citizens to another. Scrap them entirely. Then all road users would save the extraordinary cost of collections and all this money will be invested back into our economy by consumers. R8bn worth of jobs would be created. Imagine that!

I applaud the Premier’s focus on the economy, the economy and the economy. I applaud his recognition that the bulk of new jobs will come from high-tech industries. But this requires a skilled and educated workforce. Mr Premier, this is within your control. You need to go beyond paperless classrooms and show how you will get educators and principals to get a bigger cohort of Grade 1s to actually write matric. Get them to improve on the university pass mark and the pass rates in maths, science and accounting.

Mr Premier, your R32bn infrastructure budget is no more and no less what than has been budgeted each year for the past 5 years. It is nothing new. In fact, due to inflation, you are spending less in real terms than you have before. It is “business as usual”. With respect, the provincial government cannot be about “business as usual”; it has to be about “radical change”.

Mr Premier, get your MEC for Economic Development to finally give value for the R1bn budget he spends and then we will see real jobs.

Finally, your promises regarding corruption will not be convincing until you actually deal radically with those guilty or even tainted. You need to ensure that officials or politicians feel the consequences, no matter how well connected they are.

Deliver on those things the province actually does then we won’t have to imagine. The good story will be a reality.

 

I thank you.

 

 

082 492 4410

SPEECH ON THE DEBATE ON PREMIER’S STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS BY MR. SOLLY MSIMANGA DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON 26 FEBRUARY 2015

Madam Speaker,

 

Please allow me to congratulate the Premier on his second State of the Province Address delivered on Monday. Hon Premier, I remember the day you delivered your inaugural address. You were hailed as David, the great giant slayer. You were praised as the one who’d kill goliath.

 

So sir, I will not call you a broken man, because I don’t believe that YOU are at that stage yet. But, I feel that I should also tell you that goliath is still alive and you need to step up to the challenge. The goliath that is standing in our pathway isn’t the unwillingness of our People in Gauteng, but the unwillingness of those in power to rid government of corruption. It isn’t because of people are lazy, but it is because opportunity remains a resource given to only the connected few.

 

I listened to the Premier’s speech in anticipation that I would hear how we will address the failing service delivery in our Municipalities. I was hoping there will be plan to address how we will help those municipalities in Gauteng, which are either bankrupt or on the brink of bankruptcy, turn around to being investor friendly, service delivery orientated, financially healthy running municipalities. But I got none of the above.

 

Instead what I got is more unrealistic promises and plans that lacked in detail. Honourable Premier, while you were making your speech on Monday, another piece of land belonging to the Tshwane Municipality was being sold. This is flowing against your plan to “strategically use land owned by government and the development approvals to prioritise and earmark the location of specific sectors and industries in the five development corridors of our province”. Could this be the case of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing?

 

The Premier spoke of partnership with the private sector. What commitment have you received from the private sector Hon Premier? How exactly are you going to improve the CBDs and parts of inner cities? What plan has been put in place to ensure that we don’t continue to put money into a never filling pit? How will you “Mobilise” the billions that would be put by private investors into these Cities?

Premier, in your speech, you said “there is appetite and passion to invest”. I am therefore asking these questions to satisfy myself and the residents of Gauteng that this appetite can actually be meet with a meal.

 

In light of the fact that the Alexandra renewal project has been brought to a standstill by a court order since 2008, how exactly then, are you going to “Revitalise Alexandra”? This applies also Kliptown, to which you have admitted “is in a terrible and sorry state of disrepair”. Tell us how sir.

In Everton, there was a project called the Everton Renewal Project to which almost half a billion Rands has been allocated and used, yet residents in Everton still finds themselves using pit toilets. It gets worse. The area is rotting with half build roads and infrastructure.

 

140 000 in Diepsloot and surroundings

160 000 in Mogale and surroundings

120 000 in Sedibeng

 

These are the amount of housing units in the next 5 years as promised by the Premier. 580 000 new units promised. Broken down, 116 000 units per year. Premier, this goes against what the housing departments in the province and cities had to say in a meeting held just last week. They confirm that there’s a backlog in housing demand of over 700 000 units which demand could be currently satisfied at 30 000 units per year. This is by the way province wide.

 

580 000 units in 5 years across 5 years. This is stuff dreams are made of and would be great if we can achieve. I humbly request that we be provided with details of how this rollout will transpire, so that we can be sure that this sweet and beautiful dream doesn’t turn into a nightmare.

We once again hear of the building of the Tshwane Convention Centre. This is really déjà vu, as I have heard of this Convention Centre for the past 10 years, attending 2 of the 4 sought turning ceremonies, yet no Convention Centre to date.

 

It is time that we really stop politicking, and start delivering to our people, because they really deserve better!

 

 

I thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact: Cell 060 558 8308

SPEECH ON THE DEBATE ON PREMIER’S STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS BY MR. KHUME RAMULIFHO DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON 26 FEBRUARY 2015.

We need to invest in knowledge and skills.

 

The MEC for education has done a great job in facilitating placements of learners considering the demand of learners who were expected to be placed in January this year. Indeed, in terms of access to learning institutions the government has done well.

 

However, the battle to afford many young people with an opportunity to access quality basic education is still a huge challenge. It is difficult to experience real changes in many schools especially in townships. For instance, how will this be possible when 3 learners at Rebongwe primary school in Meadowlands are still sharing 2 chairs?

 

At the same school, kids sit on a “bankstoel”. This is depriving innocent children from conducive learning environment. Imagine 62 learners in one class! The department seems to have paid all the attention to paperless classrooms which they are only seven and forget other real challenges.

 

Another typical example is Buyani Primary school in Finetown. Grade 1 class has 80 learners in one classroom. On average classes have between 50 and 70 learners per class. I’m told that teachers bunk classes more often than at an acceptable level. Surely this is not what we are expecting. Where are the districts responsible for these schools?

 

It is regrettable that only 44 schools in Gauteng managed to get 100% pass in 2014. Quintile 1 has 3 schools, 26 of these schools are from Quintile 5. This is an indication of inequality in our education system. The DA believes that these schools in quintile 1,2 & 3 should be rewarded with more resources as recognition for excellent performance. This is good guide to fund learners from low-income families to receive most support from government.

 

The DA congratulates these schools as they achieved 100% pass from quintile 1,2 and 3 schools. Thuto Pele, Ramusukula, Dalpark, Phomolong and LG Holele secondary schools.

 

30 schools performed below 60%, the biggest concern is that many technical schools in quintile 4 performed badly. The quintile system is skewed, it needs to be reviewed.

 

There will be developments in our province, but the job will be done by outsiders as we aren’t producing scarce skills required.

 

Who will build all these projects you mentioned?

 

Manage the government’s money better. What we have been witnessing from schools through hidden forensic audit reports tell us different picture. Premier – I doubt your commitment with regard to fighting corruption.

 

You have the information about 159 schools where forensic audits findings confirm that principals committed fraud, corruption and there were maladministration or financial irregularities. At least 29 principals are implicated on the reports. Annual reports indicates that all cases are completed, so take action!

 

Why constitutionally constituted body, school governing bodies mandated by the constitution are denied access to these reports. Including the public, if you are found guilty why are we ashamed to let the public know?

 

You hide the forensic audit reports. Elected school governing bodies have no access to forensic audit reports about their own schools where they are entrusted with responsibility to look after. We then asked parents to be involved. I doubt if this is in line with clean government.

 

Fight fraud and corruption in our schools. Many schools in this province are cited as the highest in terms of corruption where some SGB members and principals are alleged to be the beneficiaries.

 

The DA has been questioning government commitment to fight corruption. Forensic audit reports conducted confirm that there is corruption and fraud being committed using state resources but no actions against the perpetrators. Why we can’t name and shame them?

 

How do we encourage schools to share resources and facilities, between schools and communities when individual schools aren’t held to account. SGB elections are coming next months, the DA is urging parents to take active stand and be agents in their children’s future through informed participation in we’ll run school governing bodies.

 

School infrastructure

 

We need better resources to ensure that our schools environment is conducive for learning and teaching. The approach adopted by this government to attract, retain, up-skill retrain teachers is weak considering that many teachers received shoddy education and the country is in desperate need to produce certain skills.

 

Many schools in township still lack libraries, laboratories, sporting fields and ICT infrastructure. The paperless classrooms are encouraging developments but all learners deserve opportunities. The new six schools to be made paperless, can they be in other municipality not Ekurhuleni alone.

 

Meadowlands, Dobsonville, Soshanguve, Sharpeville, Diepsloot, Orange Farm, Attredgeville, Kagiso,  Munsieville learners deserve paperless classrooms too! There is a need to reconsider the utilization of Gauteng on line facilities, they can’t be neglected as is the case in many schools to date.

 

Better resources require proper planning and infrastructure spending. Unfortunately there is poor planning and insufficient capacity to spend the budget.

 

Thank you!

 

 

 

Contact: Cell 082 398 7375

SPEECH ON THE DEBATE ON PREMIER’S STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS BY MR. JOHN MOODEY DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON 26 FEBRUARY 2015.

Madame Speaker, leading up to Monday the 23rd of February, the people of Gauteng waited in anticipation for the Premier’s SOPA address, with the hope that his would be a message of hope. Though he spoke of the quest to establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights, by and large his address failed to inspire. His address was an ambitious agenda for economic and spatial development, without any clear implementation timelines and or deadlines.

 

Honourable Premier, the phrase “Tell no lies and claim no easy victories” is often used in this house. Your speech writers had indeed, given you a script full of spin and riddled with false claims of innovation by your administration. You spoke of spacial reconfiguration and massive infrastructure investments as part of making macro interventions, as though these are new initiatives, when in reality they are projects dating back 10 to 15 years

 

You mention the Five Economic hubs, which you call corridors, as if they are a new development, when in fact they are historic building blocks of the Gauteng economy. I had learned about these economic Hubs and the advantages of comparative advantage derived from such clustering of industries, at primary school. And that was a good few decades ago. Likewise, most of the “new cities such as the Waterfall Estate, is not a new idea. Similarly, the Aerotropolis is a 12 year old initiative. Many Councillor’s and officials from the Ekurhuleni Metro have been on numerous overseas trips, over the years, spending millions of rand; tax payers money that could have been put to better use, on so called study tours and consultations with experts, to get ideas on how to develop this Aerotropolis. It is not as your address would like to portray it; a new development. Similarly the Tshwane Convention Centre has long been in the planning stages. There had been no less than 4 soil turning ceremonies held to launch this development. Claiming that these developments are new initiatives is nothing but spin doctoring. Spin, to give the impression of radical transformation.  Remember the phrase “tell no lies and claim no easy victories.”

 

Madam Speaker, the Honourable Premier indicated that his administration had consulted extensively with local governments and that land owned by government will be used to prioritize development. The DID does not as yet have a complete land asset register. The Tshwane Metropolitan Council had recently sold land to the value of R 500 000 in order to balance its books. This Metro, like many others in the Province is on the brink of bankruptcy. Local government remains the coalface of government’s service delivery agenda.

 

It is where the political will to do, or not to do, have the most direct impact on the day-to-day lives of our people.

 

This administration needs to pay heed to the cries of our people living in municipalities around the province; our people who are in a daily struggle for water, electricity and decent housing.

 

Corruption runs rampant, the law is openly flouted, wrongdoers are protected and communities’ service delivery needs are disregarded.

 

It is the poorest of the poor who bear the brunt of maladministration and malaise – waiting, and in some instances dying, before their basic human rights are met.

 

The proposed introduction of new metropolitan municipalities is neither feasible nor will it be conducive to the residents living there as centralisation is not the master stroke to cure all ills.

 

These ills are apparent in the metros such as Ekurhuleni, where communities are only serviced when the premier comes to visit; or Johannesburg, where financial management and billing is a shambles; and Tshwane, where government contracts are reserved for the mayor’s extended family and comrades.

 

Local government is slowly reaching boiling point, as communities are increasingly resorting to violent protests as a means to an end. Corrupt officials in the employ of government must be dealt with sternly. Corruption robs our people of much needed services and prospects of a decent life.

 

E-tolls

The contentious tolling system of Gauteng’s freeways has been a thorn in the side of Premier Makhura since he took office.

 

In the review panel’s final report it became abundantly clear that e-tolls were forced onto the citizens of Gauteng with limited consultation, and that their unilateral implementation harms the poor, the working class, and the provincial economy.

 

The people of this province have on numerous occasions and on numerous platforms said that e-tolls must go, yet the premier and the ANC refused to recommend they be scrapped. This is evident in the Finance Minister’s speech yesterday.

 

Only one solution remains, and that is for the premier to announce a provincial referendum on the future of e-tolls. No hybrid system of toll collection is acceptable to the people of Gauteng.

 

 

Infrastructure Development

The Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) is a department that shows neither fear nor favour when it comes to thwarting service delivery. It continuously overspends, underachieves and shifts blame – and the premier needs to tackle this department head-on.

 

Government departments’ service delivery programmes are undermined by DID’s incompetence, and the province will not unlock growth and development unless this department fires on all cylinders.

 

There will be no growth without infrastructure.

 

  • While the moves for own power generation and green initiatives (solar) are noble, the use of old coal power stations are not moves made by a government serious about green alternatives.
  • Independent power producers should supplement the power grid – taking the strain off an already burdened coal and diesel sector.
  • The Provincial Infrastructure Coordination Commission (PICC) will remain a talk shop as long as nothing is done to address the incompetence meted out by the Provincial Department of Infrastructure.
  • Departments should be responsible for own maintenance and infrastructure.
  • The Sedebeng Sewerage works project is far from being completed. We are aware of a good number of business investment projects, with the potential to create thousands of sustainable jobs, being denied, as the much needed bulk sewerage infrastructure is not available to service the additional load of human excrement that workers at these businesses will produce. (Afrikaans saying DAAR IS A DROL IN DIE DRINK WATER)…

 

 

Health

From his address it is clear that health and the well-being of residents of this province remains a major priority for Premier Makhura. He however needs to re-establish public confidence in government health facilities.

 

Too often do stories of malpractice, medical shortages, long queues and ailing health infrastructure hit the headlines, with very little or no reassurance that this administration is serious about caring for the needs of the people.

 

As a starting point, the premier should announce the decentralisation of procurement to hospital CEOs. By doing so, bureaucratic red tape that often hinders critical care will be minimised – improving the quality of healthcare to residents of the province.

 

Coupled with this, the responsibility of maintenance and repair should be removed from the ambit of DID and be done in-house. This will alleviate the backlog in infrastructure projects and increase maintenance turnaround time. The mentioned E-Health system was a promise made in this very House almost 10 years ago. The question is “When will it finally come online”?

 

 

Economic Development

While Gauteng may be the economic heartbeat of South Africa, its pulse is rapidly fading. The Premier brags about the fact that the province’s economy grew above the national average, by 2.2% in 2013, while the NDP sets an annual growth target of 5%, which is 2.7% less than the target. And this bad performance is somehow acknowledged as an achievement. Indeed it is true that in the land of the blind one eye is king.

 

Innovative and incentive based approaches are needed to increase employment and economic growth.

 

It cannot be business as usual while the people of this province are crying out for the right conditions to steer the ship of Gauteng into less stormy waters, and the premier failed to announce a definitive policy direction to loosen the economic shackles of cumbersome, bureaucratic red tape and plagued by corruption,. The Finance Minister yesterday announced that no less than R30 billion is stolen from the Countries covers and crime Watch had recently pointed out that Gauteng is leading on the corruption bandwagon.

 

By simplifying processes such as registration and regulation – business will flourish: Particularly SMME’s and those individuals trying to eke out a living in the province’s townships.

 

Special Economic Zones and Innovation Hubs in our township economies will go a long way in bringing informal businesses into the formal economy, while at the same time improve skills and increasing the provincial revenue base.

 

  • Central corridor (JHB) not an industrial centre – the high crime rate has forced the private sector out or forced it to take own initiatives to remain safe.
  • The new mega-cities mentioned are all private sector initiatives – the Premier cannot claim success for the free market initiative.
  • We need red tape reduction, freer markets, and viable centres of trade
  • Madam Speaker the Premier has promised to build no less than a total of 680 000 housing units within the next 4 years of the remainder of this term of office. Though I would like to believe that his intentions are genuine, this is an over ambitious target as historical evidence indicates that the province and local government together has on average built 30 000 RDP units per annum. This is a government owned project that if properly managed, can potentially offer not only employment opportunities, but the development of skills employed in the construction industry. Skills such as bricklaying, plastering, carpentry, plumbing and electrical wiring can be taught to unskilled workers, while delivering on the housing needs of our people. The building of sustainable communities does not only involve the building of houses. What is glaringly missing in this announcement is the building of schools, clinics, libraries and other recreational facilities needed in Proper Township planning. If these facilities are not provided, then Hon. Premier, your government will be perpetuating the former apartheid housing development schemes.
  • The premier mentioned the sorry state of Alexander and Kliptown. Both had been Presidential Projects, yet more than 15 years later, little has changed for the majority of our people. Instead of providing sustainable decent housing projects, these areas are fast becoming slums. Our people deserve much better.

 

 Education

As migration into Gauteng continues in search of a better life, the demand for education in our ever-expanding communities remains a priority.

 

Failing infrastructure, overcrowding, and a lack of sanitation, electricity and water; coupled by the limited number of state schools – are all factors that harm quality education.

 

It is imperative that these issues are dealt with in a timeous manner to ensure that Gauteng provides quality basic education to all learners.

 

If not, the province will suffer an educational disconnect.

Madame Speaker very little was said about how the Provincial Government will be tackling the unacceptable high levels of crime in the Province. When it comes to the issue of drugs, prevention is better than cure. Proper and effective policing by the re-establishment of the specialised drug combatting unit which would lead to a higher arrest and conviction rate of drug dealers will assist in this regard.

 

In conclusion Madame Speaker, my advice to the Honourable Premier, is that he should deal with basics first. Sort out and deal with corruption in your provincial and local governments as a matter of urgency. The former Premier with the nickname of Mama Action also made promises that she would eradicate corruption in her administration and yet little if any progress was made in this regard. By the end of her term of office she was renamed as the Queen of empty Promises. Honourable Premier your announcement of the establishment of the Integrity Management and Anti-Corruption Unit must not be an empty promise. We want to see a concerted effort aimed at arresting and imprisonment of corrupt officials and public representatives alike. Otherwise you could consider yourself a servant of the people and at the end of your term be known as THE DOCTOR OF SPIN.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact: Cell 082 960 3743

Clayville Ext 45 residents none the wiser about improved infrastructure

Gersbach-Graham1Gauteng MEC for Housing and Traditional Affairs, Jacob Mamabolo, has pronounced noble intentions to improve the living conditions of residents of Clayville Ext 45, Ekurhuleni, but has failed to provide detailed plans as to how this is to be done.

 

In a written reply, the MEC stated that 3 384 stands in Clayville Ext 45 were to be developed providing for 200 single residential RDP units, 1 704 High Density Walk-up units, 380 rental units and 1 100 GAP / FLISP units (for persons not qualifying for RDP or bonded units).

 

Beneficiaries of these plans include residents of the nearby Madelakufa 1 & 2 Informal Settlements, Freedom Square and applicants on the Tembisa housing waiting list.

 

Whilst the reply stated that schools, parks, medical facilities, roads and transport facilities were being planned – no detail of these facilities was provided.

 

The nearby Mpumelelo Primary School, designed for 1 800 learners, has an enrolment in excess of 2 300 yet is still housed in temporary facilities.

 

Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, mentioned in his State of the Province Address that Clayville Ext 45 is one of the areas included in the delivery of more than 100,000 housing units in the next 5 years.

 

However, there are still no details as to what is planned.

 

My colleague, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, Khume Ramulifho MPL, and I will address a public meeting on Wednesday, 4 March, 2015 at the Olifantsfontein Community Centre at 19h00 to provide feedback to the community on the DA’s education campaign.

 

Educational needs are critical to sustainable human settlements.

 

The DA will continue to ensure that the needs of the residents are addressed effectively and are not lost in the mists of cheap talk.

 

Media enquiries:
Graham Gersbach MPL
DA Spokesperson on Roads
060 556 4346

 

Disgraceful barring of media from Bara Hospital

I am appalled that members of the media were yesterday barred access to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

 

According to a report, they were invited to accompany the Public Service Commission on an inspection of the hospital, but the hospital’s CEO Sandile Mfenyane said he was following instructions from the Gauteng Health Department in barring them.

 

This is utterly disgraceful. We seem to be going backwards in access to hospitals to investigate service delivery problems.

 

I have previously been banned from Bara Hospital, and last year I was escorted off the premises of Helen Joseph Hospital by security guards because the department said I did not have permission to be there.

 

According to the Constitution, public representatives have the right to do unannounced inspections, and media also have rights that have now been denied by this hospital.

 

The Gauteng Health Department should respect the Constitution and allow reasonable access to hospitals to assess conditions.

 

They are undermining democracy and are no doubt fearful that poor treatment of patients will be exposed, like the photograph of two babies in a cardboard box that a newspaper published some years ago following a visit to Bara Hospital.

 

Media enquiries:

Jack Bloom MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health

082 333 4222

 

Bungled legal processes keep Gauteng’s roads in the dark

A service level agreement, to be signed in December 2014, ensuring the lights on Gauteng’s freeways would be adequately maintained has still not been ratified by the South African Roads Agency (SANRAL) and the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRAT).Gersbach-Graham1

 

This was revealed in a Roads and Transport committee meeting held at the Provincial Legislature.

 

This agreement would ensure that SANRAL would repair and maintain lights on Provincial Roads including the R24 (Albertina Sisulu freeway) from Johannesburg to O.R Tambo International Airport and the Atlas Road off-ramp from the R21.

 

The lights on the R24 have not been working for close on a year now, and according to residents the lights on the Provincial section of the Atlas Road off-ramp been a problem for over 6 years.

 

Reasons given for the delay include:

 

  • The agreements have been referred back to both the Legal Departments of the Gauteng Provincial Government and SANRAL for further negotiation;
  • The “as built drawings” for the design of the Atlas Road off-ramp when the R21 was handed over by GDRAT to SANRAL were outdated and did not reflect the current configuration of this off ramp;
  • Sections of road inclusive of the P40 and the section to where the lighting type changes should have initially been handed over to SANRAL.

 

In the meantime, whilst GDRT and SANRAL sort out their past mistakes, and the legal departments are sitting on the draft agreement, no maintenance and repairs are being done to any lighting on provincial roads across Gauteng.

 

Residents therefore are at risk of motor vehicle accidents due to poor lighting – while crimes at off ramps like Atlas Road continue to escalate.
Media enquiries:
Graham Gersbach MPL
DA Spokesperson on Roads
060 556 4346