DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga slams premier David Makhura for 'empty promises'

DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga has slammed premier David Makhura for not living up to his promises, including scrapping e-tolls.

He was speaking at the DA head office in Johannesburg.

Makhura is expected to deliver his state of the province address (Sopa) on Monday.

Msimanga said Makhura, since his first term, has been making hollow promises that only changed in terms of figures every year.

“In 2019 during his Sopa, premier Makhura [stated that] e-tolls would be scrapped in Gauteng. He said that in his own words: e-tolls don't have a future in Gauteng. We are now in 2022, the e-tolls are still there,” he said.

“There are people still receiving bills on a monthly basis, people who are still being threatened, not allowed to renew their licences. We ask, what has David Makhura been doing all this time?”

Msimanga said they had suggested that Makhura declare an intergovernmental dispute with the national government, but he had not done so.

He slammed Makhura for his handling of corruption, saying when the premier took over he had promised he would deal decisively with the scourge.

“It is interesting that none of the people implicated have been charged or prosecuted. David Makhura, as we speak, is sitting on more than a dozen forensic reports.”

Despite promising to release the reports, Makhura has not done so because they implicate members of the ANC. 

He slated Makhura for not instituting internal disciplinary processes against members of his government implicated in Covid-19 corruption which was investigated by the Special Investigating Unit.

Msimanga said Makhura had instead allowed some of the implicated officials to resign and get their full pensions.

Makhura had also failed to institute lifestyle audits for senior members of his government.

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