New schools, high speed rail and halving road fatalities by 2029 were all commitments made to Premier Panyaza Lesufi by his MECs.
The officials holding Gauteng’s fortunes in their hands have all signed new delivery agreements with the head of the province.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi released the performance targets to the public on Thursday to set a fresh tone for provincial government.
MECs and heads of department had signed the documents on 27 August, setting in stone the objectives they must achieve by the end of the 2028/29 financial year.
Lesufi stated that these targets were symbolic of a “social contract” between the government and the people of Gauteng.
“By making these agreements public, we are ensuring that the provincial government is accountable to the people and making sure the residents know what they can expect from each MEC and their department,” said the premier.
He added that the objectives were legally binding and would form the foundations of budgets and annual performance plans in the years to come.
Gauteng’s 2029 promise
Infrastructure Development
Infrastructure is the backbone of thriving economies, and Premier Lesufi presented a steep hill for MEC Jacob Mamabolo to climb.
Five new schools are already in the pipeline, and Lesufi added another 10 schools to Mamabolo’s to-do list.
While the MEC will have R6 billion to achieve that target, he also needs to complete the refurbishment of 54 other educational facilities.
Mamabolo’s department was also set a R643 million expenditure target for the maintenance of social infrastructure.
Among other targets, the infrastructure development department must refurbish 18 provincially-owned buildings, sign leases for 50 unused government properties and oversee 164 green alternative energy installations of unspecified specifications.
When allocating public procurement funds, Mamabolo must ensure the department allocates 82% of resources to black-owned companies, as well as 40% and 30% to female and youth-owned businesses, respectively.
Roads and Transport
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport will be aiming to repair 95% of potholes within 72 hours and service 186 traffic signals by 2029.
The department has set a goal of opening the doors to five new smart licencing centres, establishing seven new impound facilities and constructing 57km of new roads by the end of the decade.
A rapid rail system is close to Lesufi’s heart, and the department must determine routes and conduct a feasibility study for expanding the province’s rail service.
A high-speed rail link from Gauteng to Limpopo is another major goal of the premier, and he wants the department to have implementation protocols, relevant studies and funding finalised before the end of his current term in office.
Human Settlements and Economic Development
Addressing the province’s housing problem will fall at the feet of MEC Tasneem Motara, who has committed to breaking ground on 39 427 new housing units by 2029.
As well as 21 136 more service sites, human settlements must install 24 635 “municipal engineered services” in the next four years.
Other goals include converting five municipal-owned hostels into residential developments, moving 3 000 households from informal settlements to mega housing projects and registering 48 760 title deeds.
MEC Lebogang Maile must oversee an improvement in unemployment figures as well as bring investment into the province.
He will have R18 billion at his disposal to spend on bolstering special economic zones but must create 9 950 jobs within those zones in the next four years.
Additionally, he must create 49 000 tourism jobs and 6 250 youth employment opportunities and facilitate investment and marketing to the tune of R267.5 billion — all while ensuring 10 000 SMMEs benefit from government programmes.
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture
MEC Matome Chiloane holds the Sport, Arts and Culture portfolio, as well as the Education portfolio.
The department is to oversee 170 cultural programmes in the next four years, as well as financially support 36 sporting events — budget permitting.
The department is to promote elite female sport by ensuring 32 elite female athletes across four years are given financial support.
In building community partnerships, the department must ensure 3 300 art practitioners are benefiting from incubation programmes and have another 5 595 athletes trained at the provincial sports academy.
In improving access to sports, the department must support 4 230 non-fee-paying schools with extracurricular programmes and supply 3 335 schools, clubs or hubs with sporting equipment.
The education portfolio targets can be summarised as improving access to early childhood development sites and access to schooling for all children in the province.
One key metric that stands out for Chiloane is the opening of 52 “schools of the future” by 2029.
Portfolio highlights
The health department had comparatively few targets, other than one new hospital, the refurbishment of six neonatal units and the addition of 150 mobile units.
Cooperative governance and traditional affairs had no numerical targets, only committing to the implementation of interventions and support programmes for municipalities, as well as CBD revitalisation projects.
The environment department is to “protect, care for and maintain” the province’s natural beauty by rehabilitating or restoring 29 600 hectares of land.
Social development’s targets were aimed at providing more social services to those affected by social ills, but none of the programmes aimed to reduce the reliance on social development programmes.
Community Safety is tasked with increased police visibility, with a target of 451 848 crime prevention operations, which amounts to 309 operations every day for the next four years.
The department of community safety also committed to halving road fatalities by 2030.
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