If this politics thing doesn’t work out, Panyaza Lesufi could have a successful career as a second-hand car salesman. The man sure can sell hot air. I happened to tune in to a news channel broadcasting live his state of the province address, or Sopa, on Monday. Such an apt description for these snoozefests. Most of the speeches are soppy as hell, but Lesufi goes out of his way to make his one entertaining.
Normally I wouldn’t waste my precious evening on these provincial henchmen. They have no real power; they get everything devolved by national government. But the forefathers of our democracy (bless their souls, for they didn’t know what they were doing) gave provinces the responsibility of administering our hospitals, schools and some pretty important roads. They have messed them all up.
Lesufi, unlike most other premiers, seems to labour under the belief that he runs, in Gauteng, a country within a country. He somehow fancies himself the prime minister of the region that still drives most of the economy outside mining and perhaps tourism.
He talks big. In the speech he takes credit for everything, including the location of the head offices of most big banks and insurance companies in Johannesburg. He talks up his job-creation gimmick, “Nasi iSpani”, claiming it created 90,000 jobs for the unemployed after receiving 3.1-million applications for 13,000 vacancies. Again no evidence is provided to back up this claim. Oh, and apparently those who didn’t get placements are going to get their final year of study paid for by his government. Yep, he said it.
The merry-go-round of promises was only getting started. The government he has the honour of leading will further create 40,000 artisan opportunities for “olova” (slang for unemployed young people) from all the province’s townships. The leader is going to train them as electricians, plumbers and God knows what, and unleash them on the economy. Where this training is going to happen, who will undertake it, who will fund it or where they will work after completing this training was, of course, drowned out by the raucous applause from his rent-a-crowd in the Joburg city hall.
“Siph’iSpani [where are the jobs]?” he asked.
“Nas’iSpani [here are the jobs],” his crowd responded in unison.
Lesufi, a true snake oil salesman, wants to sell us lies and fantasies about the capabilities of his administration. I switched channels when he promised free data for all hostel dwellers. I had heard enough!
This was an election campaign speech. Empty promises were rolling off the tongue. Apparently his government has entered into a public-private partnership to acquire and refurbish 18 hospitals to prepare them for the National Health Insurance scheme. He loudly urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign into law the NHI Bill because they are ready to offer universal health care to all of us.
Never mind the fact this is the same ANC administration in Gauteng that has ruined a slew of public hospitals from Charlotte Maxeke and Rahima Moosa, to Kalafong and George Mukhari.
Never mind that this is the same administration under whose watch Babita Deokaran got murdered in cold blood for exposing corruption in its health service. Never mind that this is the same administration under whose watch money meant for personal protective equipment went into the pockets of dirty tenderpreneurs at the height of a pandemic. If this is the crowd that will run NHI, then run for the hills, dear reader.
Lesufi, a true snake oil salesman, wants to sell us lies and fantasies about the capabilities of his administration. I switched channels when he promised free data for all hostel dwellers. I had heard enough!
I know the desperate months before a big election are the era of the great big lie, kissing babies, sleeping in shacks and politicians squatting on floors of modest living rooms in matchbox houses begging for votes.
The Gauteng premier and his comrades are desperate to hold on to a province where there is a groundswell of anger over poor governance, corruption, high crime and under-delivered promises.
The people of this province are gatvol, and the ANC, holding on by a narrow 50.2% from 2019, is facing an onslaught on all fronts. Almost everyone who starts a new party is bound to eat into its support — from ActionSA, Bosa, Rise Mzansi, Zuma’s MK Party, to Change Starts Now and even Bongani Baloyi’s Xiluva party.
It would take a miracle for the ANC to even get to 40%. Its relationship with the EFF in Ekurhuleni has soured, and there’s no guarantee the red berets will save Lesufi and crew after May 29. Even if they do, they will want to extract major concessions.
Anyway, throughout the two-hour diatribe, Lesufi didn’t quantify any of the promises he was making or say where the money would come from. Luckily, the real purse strings holder, finance minister Enoch Godongwana, presents a budget today, and when it comes to managing the country’s finances he runs an extremely tight ship. Some of Godongwana’s comrades might promise gullible voters heaven and earth; but he will bring all of them back to earth with a loud bang.
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