Lesufi pays tribute to Makhura as 'a hard act to follow'

It was a bittersweet day for Panyaza Lesufi, who took over the reins as Gauteng premier on the same day his sister-in-law died. 

After being elected premier Lesufi told the media he would request he be released from the briefing to go and support his brother, who was “in pain” from the loss of his wife. 

Lesufi was elected premier of Gauteng at the provincial legislature on Thursday and takes over from David Makhura, who had led the province since 2014.

He paid tribute to Makhura in his acceptance speech, labelling him “the humblest public servant”.

Lesufi said Makhura had led from the front and made a huge impact on the lives of many Gauteng residents. 

Makhura would “remain a hard act to follow”, Lesufi said. 

Requesting to refer to him “as premier one last time”, Lesufi said he could attest to Makhura’s impact on the lives of many of Gauteng’s 16-million residents and to how he had “been the driving force behind the leadership change” in the province. 

“A good dancer knows when to leave the stage,” Lesufi said, adding: “We thank you for your ethical leadership and dedication to the improvement of Gauteng residents’ lives.”

Lesufi said he would reconstitute his executive committee on Friday.

He said there would be “no holy cows” but did not see why he could not work with members from the opposition, as he did when he was education MEC. 

Lesufi said it would be difficult to come up with his executive, as there were at least 67 member of the provincial legislature to choose from, but that he would be looking for people with the requisite skills and talents. 

“We are almost 18 months from the national elections so we have no time to waste,” he said. “We will need people who are agile. That’s why we don’t want to delay the announcement of the new executive council.”  

He said his administration would have to be seized with the economy, the fight against crime, lawlessness and corruption, as well as improving the state of townships. 

“Non-negotiable is the fight against crime, lawlessness and the fight against corruption. If you understand those, you will understand why there are no holy cows. 

“If we can’t change the look and feel of our townships, if we can’t eliminate informal settlements and deliver basic services, we must kiss this democracy goodbye.”