Johannesburg — Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi highlighted 13 key priorities for addressing challenges and improving services within the province.
Lesufi delivered his State of the Province Address (SOPA) in Tshwane on Monday night and said that resolving these issues would be crucial for the government to effectively serve its people, IOL reported.
“We have to reverse the impact of these 13 problems if we are worthy of being called government,” Lesufi said.
The 13 issues Lesufi highlighted include:
- Water
- Cable theft and vandalism
- Non-functioning traffic lights
- Potholes
- Crime and lawlessness
- Mushrooming of informal settlements
- Electricity (load shedding and load reduction)
- Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF)
- Drug abuse
- Improved services at hospitals and clinics
- Lack of schools
- Failing infrastructure and CBDs
- Unemployment
Despite the challenges, Lesufi acknowledged the points where Gauteng has excelled, including a 2.4% growth rate post-COVID-19, which beats the national average.
Lesufi announced that the province would host the inaugural Gauteng Investment Conference on 304 April 2025 and hopes to secure R800 billion in new investment pledges for the next three years.
Lesufi also highlighted a groundbreaking agreement with the Hunan Province in China, set to open new trade avenues for small businesses in Gauteng.
According to TimesLIVE, Lesufi outlined some of the plans that are in place to address the 13 issues outlined in his SOPA.
He said the provincial government, along with the relevant departments, would work together to ensure City Power takes over the electricity supply of the Eikenhof pumping station, while Eskom will take over the Emfuleni pumping station.
Lesufi announced that all major intersections would be repaired in the next two years, while a 72-hour repair system will fix potholes reported within three days,
Upgrades will also begin on Golden Highway, Malibongwe Drive, Garsfontein Road, and key interchanges in Tshwane and Johannesburg. The K101 Olifantsfontein Road in Midrand is also nearly finished.
Regarding broken traffic lights, Lesufi said over 400 signals will be replaced, with a budget already set aside.
He issued an apology to all those residents across the province who are struggling with water issues and said power failures in these water pumping stations have led to the challenges of depletion of water in the reservoirs.
Regarding cable theft and vandalism, Lssufi said more than 1 000 scrap yards, nearly 600 spare shops and 150 tyre shops were closed for operating illegally and the owners and operators were arrested.
“Together with the private sector we have identified and profiled 442 kingpins that are causing the worst crimes in our province. These 442 crime kingpins are responsible for cash in transits, kidnappings, hijackings, rented murder, ATM bombings, blue light gangs and business robberies.”
He added that the province demolished more than 6 000 shacks and declared the erection of shacks in CBDs, towns and townships a crime against the state and new technology has been developed to alert them when a new settlement is established.
Regarding electricity, the province has invested more than R1 billion in energy infrastructure, impacting more than 43 000 households. An additional 180MW was supplied to the City of Johannesburg through the Kelvin Power Station, with the hope of expanding capacity to 600MW.
Other projects include an 800MW solar power plant in Merafong; and the revitalisation of the old Johannesburg power station, John Ware, to get 200MW.
On hospitals and clinics, Lesufi said the province has almost reached its target of converting 40 of its clinics to provide comprehensive 24-hour services.
In providing additional learning spaces, together with the National Treasury, the province has set aside R2.5bn to build 18 schools.
In tackling unemployment, Lesufi said under both public and private employment initiatives, 271,150 new permanent jobs and 561,000 employment opportunities would be created in several sectors.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen