Introduction
Service delivery in Gauteng is hanging on by a thread, under the leadership of Premier Panyaza Lesufi, and it will collapse completely if urgent action is not taken.
Crime is increasing, water and electricity outages are becoming more frequent, our roads are littered with potholes, fading road markings or non-existent road markings, and sinkholes.
Streets and homes in various parts of this province are being flooded with raw sewage. Residents in desperate need of medical treatment are forced to sleep on the floor due to a lack of beds.
Women and children have been forced to flee their homes in Randfontein due to threats from zama-zamas involved in illegal mining activity. Schools are overcrowded, and thousands of learners missed the first few weeks of school because of placement issues. Scholar transport was also thrust into the light again when 13 learners were killed in a horrific crash in Vanderbiljpark.
The G20 honeymoon has passed and now that the fog has lifted the true reality of decay and neglect is being reflected by the daily experiences of Gauteng residents.
The issues I have highlighted are not new. These are problems that the province has been grappling with for a long time while provincial leadership has slept at the wheel.
The residents of Gauteng are reaching the breaking point. Solutions, not more promises are needed to fix Gauteng immediately.
Infrastructure
During the 2025 State of the Province Address (SOPA), Premier Panyaza Lesufi, identified 13 key priorities that needed to be addressed, including the infrastructure issues that have now reached crisis levels, as communities have gone days and weeks without services.
These 13 issues included the following:
• Water shortages and infrastructure failures
• Cable theft and vandalism
• Non-functional traffic lights
• Potholes
• Electricity, in particular, load shedding and load reduction in our communities
• Service at our hospitals and clinics
• Shortage of schools
• Failing infrastructure and collapsing CBDs
• Unemployment
It has been said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity. The same cohort of leadership that has overseen Gauteng as it has sunk into this state of disaster will be making claims that they have the solutions, when all they have to offer is the same bag of tricks that has failed.
Gauteng is the economic hub of the country. We recently hosted the G20 summit, and with that came a scramble to beef up security in certain areas of the province. This was an effort to portray the province as one that can deliver services promptly and efficiently. While the G20 summit was underway, residents in the Johannesburg Central Business District (JHB CBD) experienced a power outage lasting 10 days.
Now, being without power for 10 days may seem trivial, but the reality is that when the power is out, many businesses and apartment buildings are left without water because, to reach their taps, the pumps need electricity. Buildings and shopping centres without power have to purchase a generator at great cost, so that they can at least continue to trade and residents can access clean water, as is their basic human right.
This is the side of Gauteng that the G20 delegates did not see. If we want to right the ship, we need to start with the basics. We need to go back to basics and fix what is broken.
My fellow democrats, do not get me wrong, the JHB CBD is not the only area that is left without water and electricity for days on end. This is the reality across the province, all due to poor management and a lack of proactive management from government, especially at the local government level. Of course, later this year, we will head to the polls to elect new ward councillors and mayors across the country. This offers the residents of the province a chance to change the status quo, save themselves from the insanity of service delivery failures , and vote in a government that is people-centred and intent on rooting out corruption at the lowest levels and all the way to the top.
Not too long ago, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng highlighted the water struggles faced by all our residents daily. This was then met by a tone-deaf reply by Premier Lesufi, that even he, too, is affected by water outages and needs to use a hotel to wash- let me repeat that in case you think I misspoke – he has the privilege of being driven, by his VIP security, to a hotel to shower.
This, while our residents are simply told to plan to get water to do laundry, dishes, and bathe daily. This is not a response of a Premier who is in tune with the needs of the residents, but of one who is shielded from the realities our people have to suffer through. His privilege allows him to make lofty promises that he fails to deliver on as he is not the one who suffers the consequences, as he has options, like a nice hotel shower.
The same energy that was used to fix most of the infrastructure decay in areas that were used to host delegates from the G20 must be replicated across all municipalities, in each and every community that has been crying out for years for basic services. Service delivery is not only needed during International Summits but every single day. After all that is what residents have paid for with their taxes – reliable services, not this substandard service delivery that they are currently subjected to.
Residents living in Evaton located in the Emfuleni Local Municipality not only have raw sewage spilling over into the road but also into their homes. This is a matter our mayoral candidate for Emfuleni, Kingsol Chabalala has been fighting since the first quarter of 2025. This is a health hazard and something that should be fixed immediately. But of course, we know that Emfuleni Local Municipality is one of the municipalities that have an unfunded budget. This means that they are trying to provide services to the residents without any funds, while still owing millions of rands to bulk suppliers.
The following areas in Gauteng experience water outages daily:
• Selby
• Kensington, Bez Valley, JHB CBD
• Houghton Estate, Norwood, Killarney and Orange Grove
• Ivory Park Ext 12
• Radiokop
• Eldorado Park Ext 7/9, Kliptown, Klipspruit West
• Richmond, Rossmore, Brixton
• Helderkruin/Wilro Park
• Melville, Emmarentia, Greenside, Westcliff, Parktown West
• Midrand
• Diepkloof and Orlando
Residents across the province are subjected to long waiting times in traffic because 44% of our traffic lights are not working. Over R200 million is needed to fix these non-working traffic lights. The only challenge now is to find a reliable service provider that can complete the work on time and within budget.
Furthermore, the sinkhole on R563 in Krugersdorp has still not been fixed. It is now a year later, and residents and motorists are forced to use an unsafe road, while the wear and tear on the road is further eroded by daily use.
To solve the problem of infrastructure projects constantly running behind schedule, the blacklisting of construction and other companies that are unable to complete the work on time and within budget must take place. We cannot have municipalities constantly giving work to the same companies that are known for their shoddy workmanship or non-delivery service. We cannot have a provincial department following suit and giving contracts to companies that are known for not completing work on time or leaving shoddy workmanship in their wake.
Lesufi’s government is facing 988 pothole-related lawsuits, having already spent R199 million of taxpayers’ money on payouts and legal fees due to its complete failure to maintain Gauteng’s crumbling roads.
This is despite promises by the current government that there will be a 72-hour turnaround time for the fixing of potholes in the province.
Due to the high rate of in-migration into the province, there is a severe lack of schools and overcrowding is rampant. Just two months before our learners were expected to return to school this year, we warned that the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) had not completed or handed over a single school to the Education Department in 2025. For years, we have been warning government that GDID is incapable of delivering infrastructure projects on time.
They lack the proper project management skills that is needed to implement a project from start to finish. To make the situation worse the Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane announced that the 2026/2027 funding for quintile five schools will be cut by 64%. This crucial funding cut means that schools in more built-up areas that are classified as quintile five will have to cut security, maintenance and in some cases they may have to close their school nutrition programme.
Corruption/Lifestyle Audits
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has once again revealed that corruption is still festering and that Gauteng is a petri dish of opportunities waiting for corrupt officials to dip their hands into the coffers of the state. This must end now! The endless promises made by the current Premier of this province have come to naught, as we still have not seen any lifestyle audits being released on the current executive.
A stopgap measure was put in place to remove Heads of Departments (HOD) who did not pass the lifestyle audits. Furthermore, only a portion of the 177 forensic investigation reports have been released, and they have been heavily redacted. What has come to light is the fact that corruption at the Tembisa Hospital is widespread, and no one has been held to account to date.
In addition, Premier Lesufi denied our request and subsequent appeal to release the 177 forensic investigation reports. This is a blatant attempt to protect corrupt politicians and officials who are implicated in these reports.
It is time that we, as politicians and members of the communities we live in take responsibility for the governance of the province. If we see any wrongdoing, then we, Fellow Democrats, have a responsibility to report this to the correct authorities. This is why we have decided that where forensic investigative reports recommend that criminal action be taken and that has not been done, we will be doing so going forward. Last year, we opened a criminal case against the former HOD for the Gauteng Department of Roads and Logistics Ronald Swartz, regarding the misuse of the bus subsidy funds, which resulted in money that was wasted because the proper authorisation procedures were not followed.
We are actively following the process of this case and will continue to do so until it is concluded and the former accounting officer, Ronald Swartz, is held accountable. While the police are investigating the charges against the former HOD, Lesufi’s government is stonewalling us and hiding behind the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI). They refuse to release the full unredacted PriceWaterHouseCoopers report citing, the POPI Act. While we do believe that where needed officials identities should be protected, we cannot support protecting corrupt officials.
Similarly, we have opened a case at the Johannesburg Central Police Station regarding the widespread corruption at Tembisa Hospital against the Gauteng Department of Health’s former Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Lerato Madyo. She failed to act on slain whistleblower Babita Deokaran’s report on possible fraudulent transactions at Tembisa Hospital.
In addition, a picket was held outside Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s office in Johannesburg last year, demanding the recovery of the R2 billion stolen from the Tembisa Hospital and further calling for the investigation into tender corruption at Tembisa Hospital to be expanded to include all other medical facilities in the province.
Financial management in the Gauteng health system is so poor that the National Treasury has written to the department to provide reasons why it should not be placed under administration.
Thousands of cancer patients in Gauteng have suffered long biopsy delays, causing huge anxiety for patients whose survival chances depend on the outcome. In addition, doctors are unable to start with urgent treatment when patients don’t receive speedy biopsies. Worse still, the Premier has failed to remove Gauteng MEC for Health, Nomantu Nkomo- Ralehoko, even after two adverse court judgments on their failure to treat cancer patients.
We have persistently condemned the department’s appeal against the second court ruling that the department’s inaction is causing “irreversible and permanent harm” to cancer patients. Some patients have died while waiting for treatment, while in others the cancer has spread, making them ineligible for radiation treatment. You failed to spend available funds for radiation therapy, you failed to provide urgent treatment, and worse still, you failed to act against those responsible for the return to Treasury of R250 million earmarked to treat cancer patients.
Jobs/Economy
The current unemployment rate in Gauteng stands at 33% this is a clear indication that all the job initiatives punted by Premier Lesufi are not working and are giving our residents, particularly our youth, false hope.
My Fellow Democrats, Premier Lesufi is always talking about job creation and our Special Economic Zones (SEZs), but failing to get the basics right will not attract private businesses to partner with government; in fact, it will do the opposite. We recently saw this with British American Tobacco, which indicated that they would reinvest in the economic hub should the illicit trade of tobacco fall below 25%. While the illicit trade of goods takes place on a national scale, plans need to be put in place with local law enforcement agencies to clamp down on the sale of counterfeit goods. If this is not done, the economy will continue to lose millions, if not billions of rands, to illicit trade.
While waxing lyrical about investments and projects that will create thousands of jobs, unemployment in the province continues to soar, and government departments have high vacancy rates. Furthermore, Lesufi claimed that 832 150 jobs would be created. But the latest labour force survey showed only 102 000, created which was a fraction of the failed promise and far less than the population growth. But even then, his figure is not a true reflection of the permanent jobs that should have been created in the province. In fact, his number included temporary job opportunities. While these jobs opportunities are welcomed, our residents are in fact needing permanent employment, so they can support their families and improve their quality of life and not live from hand to mouth.
The province’s SEZs face a myriad of challenges when it comes to functioning efficiently. Those that have succeeded have not done so due to the efforts of the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG). We as the official opposition have carried out numerous oversight inspections at industrial parks in Soweto and Johannesburg. Instead of thriving businesses, we found that the parks are in a state of decay and that this is slowly killing the businesses that do operate there.
We should be striving to remove regulatory and structural barriers, provide access to finance while simplifying registration processes and using SEZs to boost manufacturing, exports and SMME growth. However, corruption, incompetence and under-investment have resulted in the parks falling into disrepair, with nothing being done to improve the working environment at these parks, which should be engines of township-based enterprise and job creation.
Buildings in industrial parks are dilapidated and collapsing. There is overcrowding of tenants and there is no cleaning and sanitation services provided. Many roads are filled with potholes while others are flooded by sewerage. In addition, our industrial parks contend with broken electricity connections, making it difficult to produce and meet their targets.
Crime
While we speak about economic growth in the province, crime plays a major role in where businesses would want their offices, shopping malls, and manufacturing facilities. Premier Lesufi promised that issues like cable theft and vandalism would be dealt with through a 24-hour response team that will be on stand-by to attend to calls. Further to this he would be leveraging technology by installing tech-logs that will alert the government entity that their infrastructure is being tampered with, and a team would then be dispatched.
Despite this promise, cable theft continues, leaving areas like the Johannesburg CBD without electricity for weeks and technicians dispatched to fix the issue are vulnerable to attacks. This was in March last year. Months later, our anti-crime campaign found no improvement in the situation.
My Fellow Democrats, when we raised concerns about the Crime Prevention Wardens, we appeared to be pessimists and naysayers. Last year, it emerged that the Crime Prevention Wardens had no legal standing, and in some cases, where they had taken affidavits and certified documents, this was not legal. The Crime Prevention Wardens were meant to be the solution Gauteng needed to clamp down on crime, especially in areas like Westbury, Riverlea, Cornationville, Eldorado Park, and Reiger Park.
Now to make matters worse, the Premier has announced that the Crime Prevention Wardens will be declared peace officers. This announcement is startling and raises serious concerns about the process used to confer the status of peace officer on the Crime Prevention Wardens. For many who applied to be Crime Prevention Wardens, it was like manna from heaven as they were in desperate need of a job to put food on the table.
To be declared a peace officer one must undergo training and meet specific requirements. We sincerely hope that all due processes are being followed.
Illegal mining continues to plague this province. Just recently women and children living in Randfontein on the West Rand were forced to flee their homes due to ongoing threats by zama-zamas. This situation is unacceptable and illegal mining needs to be eradicated now. While many are doing this because they are trying to put food on the table, it is dangerous and can lead to death. We saw this at the Angelo Informal settlement in 2023 when a gas leak caused by illegal mining caused an explosion and subsequent deaths.
Municipalities
Fellow Democrats, earlier I mentioned the dire state of the Emfuleni Local Municipality. The National Treasury has confirmed that it will withhold the equitable share grants the municipality was meant to receive last December and March this year. This is to force the municipality to settle its massive R1.4 billion debt owed to Rand Water. This comes after continuous pressure from us, where we urged action against this ANC-run municipality’s ongoing financial crisis. Emfuleni is not the only local municipality that is struggling financially.
Solution
The DA Gauteng has a plan that can fix this province. Be warned, though, this is not a quick-fix solution but one that will take years of hard work, dedication, and a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, criminal activities, and appointment of councillors, officials, MECs who are only in government to enrich themselves.
We would immediately have all government officials, including the Premier and MECs, sign a performance agreement that will be made public, and that will set out strict guidelines on how and when targets need to be met.