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The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng is launching the Did You Know? Campaign as part of a wider effort to keep residents of Gauteng informed of how their taxes are being spent ahead of the budget vote that will take place later this month. Premier Panyaza Lesufi is no stranger to populist rhetoric, nor is he a stranger to platitudes that seek only to appease Gauteng residents over the failing government he oversees in the province.

At the 2024 State of the Province, Premier Lesufi stated that e-tolls will be a thing of the past in the province after 31 March 2024. While it is true that the e-Toll gantries were deactivated, Gauteng residents are continuing to pay towards this failed project. In September 2024, the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) paid R3 billion towards e-toll debts and a second payment of R5.5 billion was made yesterday.

Since Premier Lesufi took office, the province has run up unsustainable deficits that would see the province crippled if not addressed immediately. In the 2024/25 financial year alone, the province had a deficit of R6 billion, with a further R1 billion expected in the current financial year.

He promised to assist municipalities in financial distress, but this has not yet happened. Lesedi local municipality is buckling under a monthly deficit of R20 million. The provincial government owes over R100 million to Lesedi. This has led to electricity cuts in several schools and the living quarters of doctors and nurses at Heidelberg Hospital. ‘

The financial challenges impacting Lesedi are felt across sphere in Gauteng, as a result of the mismanagement by Lesufi. Last year vulnerable residents in the province were left out in the cold when the Department of Social Development (DSD) cut R400 million in funding for NPOs and NGOs.

The Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) wasted R73 million on the green army, which left 6 000 people unemployed and service providers in financial trouble because of nonpayment.

The DA is the only party in the GPL that was not consulted on the budget by the MEC for Finance, Lebogang Maile. We are going across the province to see how this budget is benefiting the residents. We will be providing feedback through our social media channels on what we find.

Issued by Ruhan Robinson MPL - DA Shadow MEC of Finance