Premier Makhura has big and expensive dreams for bankrupt municipalities; must take action against corruption 

5 July 2019

The SOPA by Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, was mainly a disappointment and lacked direction.

It is disappointing that a person with so much political experience would tell his executive committee to table a feasible plan within a hundred days while the province has already been going about its business for sixty days. Government does not come to a complete standstill every five years when a new term commences.

Makhura's plan for how he is going to develop the biggest economic centre in South Africa lacked substance.

The Premier has big and expensive dreams for municipalities that, according to him, should technically be placed under the administration of the Gauteng provincial government due to misappropriation and corruption.

The FF Plus wonders if the Premier will hold the corrupt politicians and officials accountable or if they will quietly disappear from the political scene as usual. The party is also concerned about the ANC's obsession to merge bankrupt municipalities into mega-cities.

Gauteng's main aim should be to establish proper local governments before larger projects are tackled that cannot be managed. Merging towns and cities' finances in an attempt to improve service delivery is a recipe for disaster.

The Premier's speech may have inspired a certain part of the population, but it left the communities of loyal taxpayers who are obviously not part of his plan for progress and development, cold.

The greater part of the SOPA dealt with the urgency of completing RDP housing developments and other rural developments, but no mention was made of ghost developments nor uninhabited developments.

Gauteng taxpayers have the right to know what happens to their hard-earned money and it is imperative that officials and politicians are held accountable.

Issued by Amanda de Lange, FF Plus MPL: Gauteng Legislature, 5 July 2019