The more things change, the more they stay the same. This old saying finds expression in the ANC government's plan for Gauteng, as announced in today's 2022 provincial opening address by Premier David Makhura.
In his speech, the Premier once again referred to the old development plan, the GGT2030, which was compiled long before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Not only does the plan fall short, it also fails to take the new Covid-19 environment and extensive detrimental impact it had into account.
The plan is founded on the misplaced idea that Affirmative Action (AA) and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) will grow the economy, while in fact, quite the opposite is true.
In reality, it is only conducive to corruption and the large-scale theft of public funds.
Thus far, the ANC's plan has not attracted any new big investments to Gauteng. This is most evident in the new special economic zones that have, despite being established for many years, not received any significant investments.
The economic zone for the automotive industry in the Tshwane Metro consists solely of existing motor vehicle manufacturers that have simply decided to expand.
The only event of any significance in the aviation economic zone in Centurion is the fire at the Waterkloof Airport.
And at the East Rand Aerotropolis zone, it is the re-opening of the OR Tambo International Airport after the pandemic.
The simple truth is that there are no investors who are interested in Gauteng.
It is interesting to note that the Premier did not say anything substantial about the large-scale Covid-19 corruption that occurred in the Gauteng Departments of Education and Health and also made no mention of how the problem is going to be addressed.
The corruption took place under the smokescreen of BEE.
It is clear that the ANC does not want to admit that at the very heart of its economic programme lies nothing but a network of crime that is detrimental to service delivery and the vulnerable economy.
Makhura did make mention of the government's anti-corruption policy and framework of 2016, but it is obviously not working.
The greatest Covid-19 corruption in the country took place in Gauteng departments.
And although many law-enforcement agencies, like the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), are actively involved in the investigations, it is too late to try and undo the damage.
The ANC clearly has a lot of patience with corruption and theft seeing as the main motive for such conduct is part of the ANC's ethos. The party is beyond redemption.
At first glance, the Premier's plan to create a provincial war room to tackle economic issues seems sensible, because the private sector will apparently be involved to help draw up plans with the aim of curbing unemployment.
It is, however, doomed to fail seeing as any such cooperation will be based on the implementation of AA and BEE instead of merit, which is what the free market requires.
Lastly, the Premier admitted that crime has risen so much in Gauteng that it is on the verge of surpassing unemployment as the most pressing problem.
His only solution is to once again rely on the Gauteng police force, which is significantly compromised due to, among other things, poor training, internal corruption and a shortage of essential equipment, like road-worthy vehicles.
The ANC must be overthrown in 2024. And the FF Plus is ready and able to be part of the new coalition that will take over Gauteng.
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