Lesufi will be wise to consult and treat opposition parties with respect – analysts

Against the background of declining support in the 2019 polls, the ANC in Gauteng was yesterday bullish about regaining lost ground in the 2024 general election, with premier-elect Panyaza Lesufi pledging to put all hands on deck to regain lost ground.

While the ANC administration faced challenges, ranging from street potholes, e-tolls, a high crime rate, youth unemployment, mushrooming informal settlements and drug abuse, political analysts have called on Lesufi to put together an effective Cabinet to ensure that all government departments worked closely in delivering services to all communities.

As Lesufi declined to be drawn on questions about the composition of his future Cabinet during an ANC post-provincial executive committee media briefing in Johannesburg, policy analyst and human rights activist Dr Nkosikhulule Nyembezi said the only meaningful change expected by the public was “the fulfilment of election promises by the ANC in a manner that ensures that human rights enjoyment is not in silos”.

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“Every measure to be taken by Lesufi and his Cabinet will determine whether the ANC in the province will be voted back to office in 2024,” he said.

“[Lesufi] will be wise to consult and treat opposition parties with respect, by promoting cooperation and good governance. Key to his winning strategy will be the removal of incompetent and corrupt individuals from his administration.”

ANC runs risk of losing Gauteng

Independent political analyst Sandile Swana said there was “very little” that could be done by the state to improve performance in the next 24 months – predicting that the ANC was “likely to land between 40% and 50%, as ActionSA increases its support base”.

“Lesufi has a duty to form alliances and potential coalitions now, because getting 50% plus one percent is no longer a viable proposition,” Swana said.

“Just like the ANC lost the metros in the local government elections, the party runs the risk of losing Gauteng,” said Swana.

The state did not have “the raw materials for excellence. There is no accurate or even rudimentary data on the township economy, with the state only having 33% of the data needed to model the Gauteng economy now operating in the dark.

“Electricity, water and state-owned infrastructure is unprotected and is being ravished by all sorts of rogues, with Emfuleni and many municipalities experiencing uncontrolled sewage spillages. Growing crime statistics indicate that no one is safe anywhere in Gauteng.”

Lesufi conceded to party weaknesses, with provincial secretary Thembinkosi Nciza taking a pragmatic approach of extending an olive branch of engaging “with other like-minded political parties”.

“The ANC is going through difficulties. Hopefully, the national conference will help us to continue renewing the ANC and elect leaders that will arrest the decline,” said Lesufi.

“Our decline also has to do with the decisions that we have taken and those have not been appropriately captured and appreciated. The downfall of the ANC is its inability to communicate what it has done.”

Said Nciza: “We will work with anybody who is prepared to partner with us in making sure that our communities are in a better position.

“We know why we lost ground, with the people of Gauteng having made a lot of noise about issues of e-tolls, energy and unemployment. I can assure you that we are working very hard.

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“If you have a majority of young people who are not working, you will certainly lose elections – not because there is a better party, but because people are looking upon you as the governing party to come up with solutions.”