Gauteng Premier David Makhura delivered the State of the province address for 2021. This year’s address took place at extra-ordinary times. These are profoundly difficult circumstances when humanity has been going through and is emerging from the storm of a deadly pandemic with risks of existential proportions. 

Through such times Makhura said that the province has established innovative, agile, and adaptive governance structures which ensured that there is a coordinated response to COVID-19 from national, provincial to local government levels. He added that the provincial and local government is now working together in a way never seen before, bringing the province closer to the ideal governance model of a City Region.

Makhura also stated that the work of the Gauteng Provincial Coronavirus Command Council and workstreams is informed by scientific advice, with an emphasis on data-driven and evidence-based decision-making. As policymakers, we understood the specific trajectory of the pandemic in our province and further enhanced our COVID-19 response in dealing with hotspots and in communicating key messages to the public.

Gauteng is taking a lead in re-igniting economic reconstruction and recovery

In the light of COVID-19, Makhura said they had to adjust and adapt the GGT2030 plans to the changing environment. He also emphasised that GGT2030 remains the plan of action of the entire Gauteng City Region with a common vision and plan of action for the immediate and long-term development of each metro or district, regardless of the changes that may happen from time to time in the local and provincial government.

The Gauteng City-Region is also taking a lead in the implementation of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan announced by President Ramaphosa. 

 

These sectors are:

 

Guided by the Gauteng 4IR and Digital Transformation Panel, Makhura said they are rolling out several initiatives to achieve the following:

 

The Gauteng provincial government and municipalities are tackling all issues that will improve the ease of doing business and enhance the attractiveness of our City region as the preferred destination for domestic and foreign direct investment.

" As the Gauteng City Region government, we are marshaling resources to fund bulk infrastructure in order to unlock social and economic development in our five corridors and districts. We are also cutting red tape to fast-track development approvals. We are building a network of schools of specialisation that are providing sector-specific skills in line with the identified high-growth sectors in each district." Said Makhura

Makhura also highlighted that the Executive Council has welcomed the Commission’s Report and further mandated the MEC for Roads and Transport to move with speed in implementing the recommendations of the Commission, especially to ensure effective regulation and transformation of the sector.

He said the Gauteng City region has been taking a lead in building post-apartheid urbanism and sustainable urban agenda. Spatial injustice needs to be confronted with a radical counter-narrative of inclusive, sustainable, and transformative urbanism.

In achieving this objective, urban land use is a strategic tool for transforming social, spatial and economic relationships among our diverse people in order to integrate them so that they live together as equals.

Since the start of the sixth administration in May 2019, they have also completed 18 154 units and 14 677 sites to the residents of our province. We have registered 13 789 title deeds and have formalised 52 townships.

Significant work is taking place on the revival of urban renewal projects in line with the commitment we made in 2019.

The Gauteng government has introduced the land release program, which allows the government to provide serviced sites for people to build houses for themselves.

We are happy to report that 9151 sites have been identified across the province and the handover process was affected by COVID-19 regulations. The administrative processes are being completed to ensure that the handover process starts in March.

As the provincial government, Makhura said they have always insisted that education is the number one priority in our social policy and human development endeavor.

" The COVID-19 pandemic put the 2020 academic year at great risk and caused many anxieties among parents,  learners,  educators and authorities.  Never have we witnessed such large scale disruption of education since the dawn of democracy." 

As the Minister of Basic Education announced the Grade 12 results yesterday, Gauteng has maintained the second position after the Free State province, with a pass rate of 83.75%.
 the province had the second-highest number of learners who wrote exams for the National Senior Certificate in 2020 - 110 191 learners.

Improving governance in The Gauteng City Region

Improving governance in The Gauteng City-Region Makhura said they have constantly asserted that a capable, ethical and developmental state is an indispensable weapon in our struggle to create the Gauteng of our dreams.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed the need for a caring, capable, competent and ethical government that can deal with developmental imperatives, especially during pandemics, natural disasters and systemic crises.

The Gauteng Provincial Government has achieved so much in strengthening inter-governmental relations in the past twelve months than we have ever done in the past twenty years. We have one Plan for the GCR and One Plan for each district and metro.

Makhura said that the matter of great concern is that the financial position of many municipalities deteriorated during COVID-19 due to the loss of over R8.75 billion in revenue between April and July 2020 in municipalities.

He said that the loss had negative implications for service delivery and affected the resilience of municipalities. This resulted in a decline in spending on Capex projects by 42% and a decline in cash collection due to suspended credit control measures. Several municipalities struggled to pay their creditors such as Eskom and Rand Water.

Makhura highlighted that they are working with all their municipalities in the province to improve their financial viability which was impacted by the national lockdown. We have a Multi-Disciplinary Team of Revenue Experts as part of the Debt Management Committee (DMC) to help struggling municipalities to develop an Integrated Revenue Enhancement and Debtors Management Plan and to ensure accurate billing.
 
The Premier Concluded by re-assuring the people of Gauteng that they remain unfazed and will focus on all the four priorities outlined in this State of the Province Address.

"We may be shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, but no storm will break the determination of the people of Gauteng to be pioneers and makers of their own history.
We have learned from history and our struggle that “Life can only be understood backward; but it must be lived forwards”, as pointed out by Søren Kierkegaard. This province will bounce back and move forward in a way that lives no one behind. I thank you once again on behalf of the entire Team of the Gauteng City Region." said Makhura