There is nothing much to commemorate for Gauteng residents during this Human Rights Month, except honouring those who died during the Sharpeville massacre. Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s tarnishes the memories of the heroes of Sharpeville as his government continues to undermine the cornerstone of our democracy the Bill of Rights.
The Bill of Rights, contained in Chapter 2 of our Constitution, affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom. The state is compelled to respect, protect, promote, and fulfil this bill of rights. However, with all the resources in its hand, the Gauteng government led by Panyaza Lesufi has failed to uphold fundamental rights such as human dignity, housing, environment, education and healthcare.
Lesufi’s government will spend millions of rands on events across the province to commemorate this day, with glitz and glam that does not reflect the harsh conditions Gauteng residents contend with daily.
Too many people in Gauteng continue to live in squalor without proper sanitation and housing, undermining their right to dignity. The neglect and decay of infrastructure has resulted in daily outages of water and electricity. Our roads are littered with potholes, non-existent road markings, sinkholes and dysfunctional traffic lights. Streets and homes in townships are being flooded with raw sewage.
Children are being denied access to quality education by being taught in an inconducive, overcrowded classroom with no desks and chairs. This situation is further exacerbated by the haphazard placement system, which resulted in thousands of learners missing the first few weeks of schooling. Scholar transport is also a challenge; learners’ safety is at risk as those vehicles are not roadworthy, putting their lives in danger.
Sick patients are forced to sleep on the hospital floors due to a shortage of beds, while some die on the waiting list to get treatment. Lesufi’s promise to purchase 18 private hospitals has not materialised leaving dashed hopes across Gauteng communities.
Young people languish at home unemployed as Gauteng fails to create an environment that will attract much needed job intensive investments. While Lesufi waxes lyrical about investments and projects that will create thousands of jobs, unemployment sits at 33% and continues to soar. Across the provincial government departments have high vacancy rates, while qualified social workers, doctors and other graduates are jobless.
Furthermore, crime is increasing as the province remains the epicentre. Our residents live with the daily threat of crime. The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Anti-Crime Campaign revealed not only the rising levels of crime but also the concerning under-resourcing of our 144 police stations meant to curb it. The shortage of human resources continues to cripple many police stations, and there is a critical scarcity of vehicles and holding cells.
The province’s policing needs and priorities list would be central to addressing the needs in our police stations. This is a critical document that addresses urgent needs such as holding cells, staff shortages, and infrastructure challenges. Lesufi took it upon himself to be the MEC of Community Safety and has failed to move the needle in this department, rather taking it backwards with chaotic decisions such as the illegal Gauteng Crime Wardens programme.
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has once again revealed that corruption is still festering and that Gauteng is a petri dish of opportunities waiting for corrupt officials to dip their hands into the coffers of the state. The endless promises made by the incumbent government have yielded little in terms of consequences management.
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Residents’ human rights are being violated by corrupt individuals who are steal from the public purse. This is money which is meant to improve the lives of our people.
We cannot emphasise enough that corruption and financial misconduct are not victimless crimes. These are lost funds pocketed by greedy, connected individuals instead of delivering services to our communities, which desperately need them. When funds are stolen, our hospitals and schools become under-resourced, the infrastructure collapses, and trust in those in office fades.
Human Rights Day should not only honour the past, but it should also be reflected in the lives of the residents of Gauteng. To remain meaningful, we should do all we can to ensure that these rights are realised.
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To be true to the promise of Human Rights Day we need effective government services and reliable infrastructure. We must fight against corruption by emphasising accountability and addressing governance failures. The DA is the only party that has a proven track record of good governance and can restore Gauteng residents’ dignity.
- Solly Msimanga MPL is DA Gauteng leader of the official opposition.
