This was the main message of Gauteng Premier David Makhura in his State of the Province Address at the first sitting of The Gauteng Provincial Legislature in Sedibeng, the southern corridor of the Gauteng city region.
He said Gauteng’s economy had enormous potential to create more jobs and grow in an inclusive manner, and there had been significant progress in empowering township-based enterprises, co-operatives and SMMEs.
“We will continue to spend more time out there on the ground solving problems with communities, unblocking delivery of infrastructure projects and getting our economy to work for all of you. We are governing with a greater sense of urgency, integrity and transparency,” Makhura said.
The premier added that in the past 21 months, the ANC-led Gauteng administration had been implementing a bold programme of transformation, modernisation and re-industrialisation. He said his provincial government was creating an environment where clean governance would thrive.
“Gauteng will become a corruption-free province in our lifetime. It is important to ensure that public resources are directed to benefit all people. The State must never be captured by a few individuals or groups for their own selfish gain.”
Referring to racism, Makhura emphasised, “Nothing is more offensive than acts of incompetence and corruption that feed the racial stereotype that all black people are either inherently incompetent or corrupt. Nothing undermines the cosmopolitan and ‘Afropolitan’ character of our province more than the resurgence of racism and the fermentation [sic] of xenophobia.”
The Premier said he would appoint a group of eminent persons who would work with various civil society initiatives to open honest and constructive conversations on how to build a society free from racism and xenophobia.
Talking about crime in the province Makhura said, “Nothing keeps us awake at night more than the knowledge that many Gauteng residents are gripped by the fear of crime. Nothing angers us more than the senseless killing of police and traffic officers who are the protectors of our citizens and upholders of our law.”
He added that nothing was more troubling than the atrocious acts of gender-based violence perpetrated against women and girls.
Makhura concluded by saying his administration was very intolerant of government failure and bureaucratic incompetence. “We are particularly encouraged that 19 of our departments and agencies, including the Office of the Premier, achieved clean audits in the 2014/15 financial year,” he said.
Want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp?
Send a WhatsApp message with your name to 079 439 5345
