Some political parties have accused Premier Panyaza Lesufi of misleading Gauteng residents in his State of the Province Address. This emerged during a debate in the Gauteng Legislature on Lesufi’s speech delivered on Monday.
However, the premier has dismissed these allegations.
While appreciating that Premier Lesufi acknowledged that Gauteng faced a myriad of challenges, DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga, however, accused Lesufi about lying about the jobs created during his tenure.
“Ntate Lesufi, o bosso ya Maaka [Mr Lesufi, you are the king of lies]. Premier Lesufi, you have been lying to the people of Gauteng and selling them lies. You promised us 1,800 jobs. Of those, according to your own reports, only 33 have been procured. I want to say to the people of Gauteng, we are on our own. There’s nothing that is going to change. There’s nothing that is going to improve your life in the next year or the next five years. (The) thing that you have to do is to make sure that you get rid permanently of this government here,” says Msimanga.
Build One South Africa member Ayanda Allie also lambasted Lesufi saying he has been making empty promises to residents including funding local spaza shop owners.
“We can’t figure out whether you’re a pathological liar, or if you’ve been deceived. In the outcome, you’re in the habit of using crafty slogan and clever invention. I ask who’s fooling who? This year you repeat that promise except to hank the price to R2.5 billion. The deception is exhausting,” says Allie.
Phillip Makwala from the EFF questioned when will the Gauteng government build additional schools as promised previously.
“It’s almost two years, premier and you are unable to account for these schools meant to have been built. Instead, you once again promise to construct 18 new schools at a cost of R2.5 billion,” says Makwala.
Lesufi replied that the multi-billion rand projects are on track.
“I was questioned by member Msimanga that I misled the house and even went further to call me a liar on the basis that we indicated in our State of the Province Address that our investment of R220 billion public infrastructure is a lie. I’m willing to trumpet this to member and disprove these allegations that I’m a liar. The R220 billion projects are here. These are projects that come from national government, provincial government and local government. It’s bridges, it’s roads, it’s everything. I want to provide evidence, and demonstrate that I didn’t mislead South Africans,” adds Lesufi.
Lesufi also says he is also working with the SIU to retrieve funds lost in the Anglo Ashanti Hospital lease and refurbishment contracts worth over R600 million.
