State cannot rely on private companies for service delivery: Panyaza Lesufi

Gauteng PremierPanyaza Lesufisaid the economic growth of the country hinges on the success of the province. “The priorities of South Africa are very clear. It’s to eliminated unemployment,” he said, quoting Ramaphosa’s words to eliminate unemployment.

“Today, as theGauteng government, we are the only province saying ‘in growing the economy, what is it that Gauteng should do?’” The province was launching the Gauteng City Region Economic Growth and Development Plan [GCR-EDP] 2030 in Parktown. The plan aims to reassert the province’s status as a globally competitive, integrated andsustainable economic hub. Lesufi said to fight inflation, the government must do its job.

“Ensure that it offers quality public goods. You and I know the reason we have medical aid is that we don’t trust the public good called the health system. You and I know the reason we take our children to private schools is that the public education is not sufficient.” He said the state did not even have the capacity to fix potholes on its own.

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“We rely on third parties [private businesses]. After they fix them, their business ends, and when the rains come, the potholes reopen so they can get business again. We must build the capacity of the state so that we can do these things ourselves and not rely on third parties,” he said.

Lesufi said these priorities call upon the Gauteng government to respond with concrete plans. “We have identified 11 sectors, but three are especially important. We must be the home of innovation, the home of new ideas and the home of artificial intelligence,” he said.

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