Africa-Press – South-Africa. Newly elected Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has warned civil servants and leaders in the provincial government that fighting corruption would be at the top of his administration’s agenda.
Delivering his acceptance speech after being elected the new premier of SA’s economic hub, Lesufi said there were no untouchables or “holy cows” that would be immune to prosecution should they engage in unlawful activities that disenfranchise the province’s citizens.
“There are no holy cows… in our fight against corruption. We will root out corruption anywhere it rises its ugly head. And when we tackle those who commit it, then you will understand what I mean,” said Lesufi.
He was elected premier after defeating DA candidate Solly Msimanga by 16 votes.
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Lesufi received 38 votes against Msimanga’s 22 and in the process succeeded David Makhura, who resigned this week after being premier since 2014.
The newly elected premier said the work that still needed to be done so that all citizens benefited from the gains of independence was enormous.
“As long as our townships are still the way they are, our freedom has not arrived. As long as we still have informal settlements, we have not accomplished our tasks. As long as we still have dirty and smelly hostels, we have not achieved our goals.
“As long as our people in rural areas struggle to get water, then our mission for a better and free South Africa must continue. When qualified young people still struggle to get jobs, we must double our efforts for the real economic growth of our province,” said Lesufi.
He said Thursday was not an occasion “to celebrate but a reminder that we must serve with humility and integrity”.
“We should forever remain sensitive to the imperatives of our Constitution and always act in the best interest of the people of this province,” he said.
He added that to return Gauteng to its former glory as the province of opportunity, he had to appoint new MECs “by the end of business tomorrow [Friday]”.
“I will honestly be influenced by skill, talent, and commitment. We are almost 18 months from the national elections, so we have no time to waste.
“We need people that will be agile and understand the task at hand, so we don’t want to delay the announcement of the MECs.
“The only [thing] remaining before I announce the MECs is that the ANC deploys me, and I need to consult the party’s input before I announce the individuals so that the party also has input on the calibre of leaders they want. I also need to consult our alliance partners. We want to have this executive by the end of business tomorrow. We don’t want to leave a vacuum,” said Lesufi.
He said he was aware that a lot of MPLs would be awaiting his call, but he would choose the best out of the 72 members of the legislature.
Beyond announcing his new cabinet on Friday, Lesufi also revealed that there were key projects that he would be detailing as part of his administration’s efforts to rebuild the province.
He also hinted at an agreement being reached with the National Treasury that would have a big impact on Gauteng.
The province and National Treasury have been at loggerheads regarding how to implement e-tolls, with the province advocating for their scrapping as they saw them as being part of the reason for the party’s declining electoral performance.
The new premier also revealed that his sister-in-law had lost her battle with cancer on Thursday morning, which left him in a precarious position of choosing whether to go and support his brother or attend the council sitting.
“I had to choose between my brother and coming here, but because this is a calling, I came here, and my brother allowed me to come with an open heart,” said Lesufi.
Lesufi, the outgoing MEC for education, has himself been the subject of controversy after his department spent a staggering R400 million on sanitizing schools between June and August 2020.
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