By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) leader in Gauteng Solly Msimanga has called on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to focus on sustainable job creation.
Msimanga made the remarks during the debate on Lesufi’s State of the Province Address, where the premier committed to creating millions of jobs through various initiatives.
The DA has been a fierce critic of the premier’s Nasi Ispani programme, which was launched in June 2023 to tackle unemployment in the province.
During his State of the Province Address, Lesufi apologised to the young people who were employed as teaching assistants under the Nasi Ispani job creation campaign but later lost their jobs.
Msimanga said it’s crucial for Lesufi to ensure that his job creation projects are realistic and sustainable.
“I am very disappointed we have 32,000 young people employed as teachers’ assistants, and we need a whole lot of them in Gauteng. They were promised that they would be sustained for another 12 months.
“I have met with one, Mbali Matiwane from Daveyton, who said she was actually hoping that she would be able to use that to finalise her studies to be able to be a qualified teacher so that she can get into the teaching profession as a permanent basis.”
“These are the things that we need to address and say when introducing opportunities, and we say certain things, we must actually commit to those things and see them through – not commit to certain things, and then halfway we cut them through.”
Msimanga also said the performance agreements that MECs are set to sign must be made public so that they can be held accountable.
Additionally, he indicated that a DA government would ensure regular lifestyle audits are conducted, and made public. “By doing so, the residents of this province will receive the service delivery they deserve, “said Msimanga.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Moses Koma described Lesufi’s previous tenure as “lost years”, while the MK party’s Bafana Mahlabe called the government of nation unity “concocted”.
Funzi Ngobeni, ActionSA’s candidate for premier in May, said Lesufi lacked actionable plans. He said there was “no roadmap” and stressed a need for fresh ideas.
Build One South Africa (BOSA) Ayanda Allie hit Lesufi with a venomous three minutes, calling him a liar who “should be ashamed of himself”.
In the verbal blitz, Allie declared, “You have been weighed, you have been measured, you have been found wanting.”
Lesufi’s pledges included ending load shedding, combating crime, creating jobs, fighting corruption, and advancing infrastructure development.