‘ANC’s Gauteng Lekgotla marks turning point in rebuilding party’

The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng says this weekend’s provincial Lekgotla marked a turning point in efforts to rebuild the party and restore public confidence. The two-day gathering, held in Fourways, north of Johannesburg, follows the disbandment of the Provincial Executive Committee and the appointment of a Provincial Task Team to stabilise the party in Gauteng.

The meeting comes as the party grapples with its worst electoral performance to date and mounting public frustration over service delivery failures. ANC National Spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri says the meeting was a watershed moment.

“We can say without any ambiguity that the spirit has been so cordial. There has been no division demonstrated, both in plenary and commissions. We are confident as the ANC that this province will continue to be a province led by the ANC, both in government as well as in terms of our overall leadership of society.”

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says addressing decaying infrastructure in cities is a matter of urgency, especially in Gauteng ahead of the G20 Summit in November.

Johannesburg is experiencing significant building decay and decline in infrastructure caused by a lack of maintenance. This includes hijacked buildings and potholed roads.

Lesufi was addressing the media at the conclusion of the two-day Lekgotla in Fourways.

“We are indeed confident that we will resolve the issues of decay. We are one generation that is unfortunate because we have to deal with ageing infrastructure. It was built years ago, so we are entering that era because everything that was established at once is coming to an end at once. The decay is the thing that we agreed that we must resolve jointly with all our municipalities, not because we are hosting a G20 but because we are doing it for our province as part of an economic turnaround. “