The FF Plus is not surprised that the Gauteng ANC government was once again unable to commit itself to a fixed timeline for abolishing the e-toll system and merely reiterated its false promises.
During the tabling of the province’s adjustment budget, the MEC for Finance, Jacob Mamabolo, referred to the e-toll issue which served to highlight the province’s dire financial situation and the ANC government’s failing economic plans.
Mamabolo undertook to submit the final plans to pay R12,9 billion, which comprises 30% of the e-toll debt, by the end of December 2023 to the National Treasury.
It is, however, ironic given that the Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, had promised this time last year that e-toll would be abolished by 2022.
The reality is that the e-toll system is still fully operational and road users are still receiving bills.
Mamabolo’s plan to pay off the e-toll debt by increasing the province’s revenue though creating a provincial state bank and a pharmaceutical company is ludicrous in light of the ANC’s mismanagement and destruction of several public enterprises, such as the Land Bank, the Post Office and Transnet.
It is once again abundantly clear that the ANC is unable to deliver on its promise to abolish e-toll, and it is because the provincial economy has been destroyed under ANC rule. Daydreams about the province’s own banks and pharmaceutical companies will not turn its economy around.
During his tenure as MEC for Education, Lesufi was utterly unable to achieve basic objectives, such as building more schools and maintaining school infrastructure.
The Life Esidimeni tragedy could also have been prevented through proper management.
It appears that Lesufi is systematically cutting back welfare organisations’ budgets and channelling the funds to his own projects, such as employing a large number of youths in unsustainable positions.
The FF Plus has received complaints from welfare organisations about the Gauteng government making it nearly impossible to apply for aid and seeming motivated to properly fund contracted organisations only.
The Gauteng economy has not attracted any new foreign investments and it appears that even established businesses, such as Volkswagen, are threatening to withdraw from South Africa. It will have a severely detrimental impact on Gauteng’s economy and its manufacturing sector.
The only way to save Gauteng from this economic quagmire is to get rid of the ANC and replace it with a coalition government, with the FF Plus as a governing partner.
Together, we can repair and rebuild Gauteng.
