‘Fewer promises, more action’: DA tells Lesufi ahead of Sopa

The DA says it does not want “empty promises” but plans on improvement of service delivery in Gauteng's state of the province address (Sopa). 

Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi is expected to deliver his first state of the province address on Monday after taking over as leader in October last year. 

DA leader Solly Msimanga said he expected Lesufi to give progress reports on building of new schools of specialisation, refurbishments of hospitals, timely service provider payments and refurbishments to hostels.

He said these service delivery pointers had been promised by Lesufi when he started his role as premier. 

“We no longer want empty promises but want our residents to know service delivery will improve,” Msimanga said. 

“Our service providers, particularly those who do business with the department of health, do not receive payment for services on time. This means our hospitals will have essential services withheld.”

More hospitals are needed to meet increasing demand in the province, Msimanga said. 

“Our hospitals have an enormous backlog of surgeries, with some patients waiting for as long as five years. The Thembisa Hospital is facing immense pressure because there is no hospital in Kempton Park.

“Our residents need to know what progress has been made in finding a suitable site for a new hospital and when this will be completed.” 

Msimanga said the upgrading of township informal settlements and hostels also needed to be done across the province.

TimesLIVE reported on poor living conditions in hostels under the management of the provincial government. 

“A clear financial plan must be put forward when it comes to putting up new infrastructure. We cannot just talk about upgrading hospitals and building new schools when there is no budget for it,” said Msimanga. 

He urged the government to secure electricity from independent power producers.

Last week the provincial government said it was embarking on an initiative to get power from different sources to alleviate the effects of load-shedding. 

Msimanga said municipalities in dire straits required more support.  

ActionSA urged Lesufi to focus on economic recovery and fighting corruption within government.