‘MECs don’t make the grade’
JOBURG – Education and Infrastructure & Development MECs a hit in the DA's scorecard.
Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi together with Infrastructure and Development MEC, Jacob Mamabolo fared well in the Gauteng DA’s annual report on the provincial cabinet.
The DA generously scored Lesufi and Mamabolo an impressive six out of 10. According to the Gauteng DA leader, John Moodey, Lesufi is more responsive to challenges in his department than most of his fellow MECs. “He is willing to engage openly with the opposition, even if his solutions are not always befitting the challenges at hand,” Moodey said.
The opposition party noted that Lesufi’s piloting of the online school enrollment process for Grade 1 and Grade 8 schoolchildren has been relatively successful, despite initial challenges to the system. The DA also highlighted that the number of matric bachelor passes in the province have gradually increased during his tenure.
The Education Department is definitely not without any flaws. According to the DA, Lesufi still battles to deal with the basic challenges facing his department like providing running water, electricity and sanitation to some schools in the province. According to the report, Lesufi could do more in his department and must get the basics right and stamp out corruption decisively.
Read: Education MEC apologises for delays in department’s online application website
Mambolo has also been commended by the opposition for acknowledging problems and attempting to resolve them with officials. The DA noted that Mamabolo has not been in his position long enough to make a huge impact in terms of the performance of the department. However, his receptiveness to engage and act has resulted in some improvement.
“It is important that Mamabolo maintains his vigour, as the task that lies ahead is huge. To address the high levels of unemployment and stimulate the provincial economy, it is imperative that this department unlocks the infrastructure potential of Gauteng and fast tracks back-dated projects,” Moodey stated.
Health MEC, Qedani Mahlangu appears to be the worst performing MEC in the DA’s books, as she was scored zero out of 10. The opposition said events this year proved that Mahlangu is not fit to hold office. “She should have resigned or been fired over the 37 known deaths of psychiatric patients transferred hastily to unsuitable NGOs after the cancellation of the contract for Life Healthcare Esidimeni, which looked after about 2 000 patients,” Moodey explained.
Other MECs with low scores include that of Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements’ Paul Mashatile; and Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture’s Faith Mazibuko. Both MECs were scored three out of 10. Most of the other MECs, including Premier David Makhura were scored five out of 10.
