The Gauteng government has poured cold water over the DA’s latest scorecard for departments in the province.

Spokesperson Thabo Masebe said the provincial government didn’t believe in the opposition party scorecard, saying premier David Makhura preferred evidence.

“The premier believes in evidence that speaks for itself. Work has been done and what was meant to be done has been done. Evidence is there for everyone to see,” said Masebe.

Gauteng premier candidate Solly Msimanga, announced that the poorest-performing departments were health and human settlements, cooperative governance and traditional affairs, which each scored 1 out of 10.

The highest-performing department was education, led by MEC Panyaza Lesufi, which cored 7.5/10.

MECs for social development and community safety, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza and Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, each received a 2/10.

The departments of economic development and sports, recreation, arts and culture each scored 3/10. Makhura’s department, together with the departments of infrastructure development and finance scored 4/10, followed by roads and transport, which received 5/10.

READ: Gauteng deserves better than Makhura

Turn a blind eye

Msimanga said Makhura has insisted time and time again since 2014 that e-tolls must go and even established a commission. However, he said he has not told both ministers of transport and finance to renew the collection contract when it comes to an end.

“If he were seriously on the side of the people, he would have used his so-called conviction to stand up to what is evidently wrong,” said Msimanga.

READ: E-tolls must be scrapped in Gauteng, insists ANC’s David Makhura

He added that under Makhura’s watch, he lacked the conviction to act against errant mayors and officials that have run the Emfuleni, Merafong and West Rand District municipalities into the ground.

“These municipalities stand testament to failing ANC governance. Instead of taking action, the premier shields those who have meted out cruelty to our people,” he said.

“One need to look no further than the murderous former health MEC, Qedani Mahlangu – the architect of the Esidimeni tragedy, allegedly corrupt Brian Hlongwa who bankrupted the Gauteng health department and the failed former mayor of Emfuleni, Simon Mofokeng.

“These individuals remain members of the party’s provincial decision-making body that will impact policy choices of a failing ANC government,” he said.

Job losses

Msimanga said under Makhura’s watch, at the end of the 2017/18 financial year, 124 000 jobs were lost compared to the previous financial year.

He said the province was suffering from a serious housing, healthcare and schools backlog.

“Under the ANC’s watch, they have allowed sewage from the Emfuleni municipality to flow into the Vaal River. The raw sewage is causing severe water pollution. The drinking water is now being used to flush pollution out of the Vaal River system and, as a result, we are left with a water shortage and an impending water crisis in this province.

“This province deserves a government that possesses the political will – the will of the people, to steer us on the right track,” he added.

Praise for Makhura

The ANC in the province said it was not surprised by the DA, which chose to ignore empirical evidence confirmed by reports from credible institutions and merely relied on political thumb-sucking to develop their so-called annual scorecard.

Spokesperson Tasneem Motara says residents won’t be fooled by this latest gimmick.

Motara said there was evidence that the performance rating of the provincial government by Gauteng residents was improving steadily since 2015/16.

A survey has revealed that satisfaction with the government was at its highest level of 45% since 2011.

“Since 2014, the ANC government in Gauteng has attracted R66bn in foreign direct investment flows. Through the investment facilitation work of the InvestSA investment centre, 14 000 jobs were created in the province.

“Gauteng province leads the country in promoting intra-Africa trade. By August 2017, more than 169 Gauteng-based businesses had 365 investment projects worth R356bn across the major regions of our continent,” said Motara.

As South Africans contemplated the endless possible puns from Patricia De Lille’s naming of her party as “GOOD” – the former Cape Town mayor dismissed concerns over the viability of her new political movement.

“There are many South Africans who are looking for an alternative, or who are undecided,” she suggested during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Sunday.

“I think South Africans know me by now – I will not give up.”

READ: Patricia de Lille announces name of new party

GOOD will be contesting the 2019 elections nationally and in all the nine provinces.

De Lille said that when she was asked as to why she had begun the movement: “I said it is because I can.”

‘Very restless’

De Lille recently resigned from the Democratic Alliance, following 18 months of acrimony between her and that party.

Initially she joined the DA when it merged with the Independent Democrats which she founded and led, in 2010.  

During apartheid, De Lille was a member of the Pan Africanist Congress.

On Sunday, she described herself as “a person who is continually moving; I’m very restless”.

Asked about the fact that the colours – orange, white and black – of the GOOD movement, were exactly the same as those of the Independent Democrats, De Lille said that she was “not resuscitating the ID”.

She said that the party was assisted by brand specialists and marketing people, and the colour represented what the party “would like to achieve”.

“Yellow is owned by the ANC, blue by the DA, red by the EFF – and we had to find a different colour!”

She swore to carry on fighting for her beliefs until her death.

“I can go and relax at my house on pension… but I cannot rest when my country is in the space where it is now.

“So I will continue to be involved until the day you put me six-foot-six down there – then I will rest.”

Financial assistance

De Lille was flanked by a number of supporters including former Cape Town mayoral committee councillor Brett Herron and former DA chief Whip Shaun August.

She said that the party would “not make a fuss” if those from other parties wanted to join them.

When it came to funding the party, financial assistance had already been offered – but they did ask for more.

She said the party would also alleviate costs by focusing on a digital campaign.

She said she would release her election manifesto, full policy documents and announce her premier candidates in January.

The party was conducting IEC registration.

De Lille said that while there had been speculation as to whether she would return to the name of the Independent Democrats: “This is a new movement.”

She drew on her previous work experience to help her – and to mentor young people to become key leaders.

“My role is to use my experience in government to bring GOOD government and GOOD services to all South Africans.”

Policy points

De Lille said that over the past two weeks, she had been “deeply encouraged” by the support she had received – saying she had been approached by thousands of people.

De Lille spoke about some of her policy points.

On land redistribution, she said: “Given the significant public land holdings, expropriation should be the last resort.”

Public land was not a “commodity” for trade but should be used to help the public, she said.

When it came to social justice, she would fight against racism and sexism.

In terms of economic justice, she said that while she supported the principle of B-BBEE, “It must be done right.”

She also advocated for equal pay for men and women.

A key element of her policy was to guard against climate change.

The name and identity of her political party arose from “the hopeful and patriotic vision we hold” and its guiding values were: “Truth, trust, equity, solidarity and service”.

De Lille expanded on the key message of her party: “The GOOD movement will remind South Africans that you don’t need to be black to fight racism; you don’t need to be a woman to fight for gender equality; you don’t need to be gay to fight homophobia.”

In her first foray into wordplay, De Lille also suggested: “If GOOD people do nothing – that is when evil and corruption thrive in our country.”

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Law enforcement agencies uncovered counterfeit goods worth R18m in Johannesburg’s inner city on Friday.

The goods were recovered in an operation by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, the South African Police Service, the provincial commercial crime unit, the Gauteng traffic police saturation Unit and the City’s group forensic investigation services unit. 

“It is essential that we bring back the rule of law in our City and take it back from the criminal elements. I want to thank all the stakeholders involved for their commitment to ensuring Johannesburg residents are safe and protected from illegal activities,” City of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba said in a statement on Friday.

The counterfeit goods were recovered during an operation on Thursday called Buya Mthetho. The haul included watches, footwear and clothing items branded Adidas, Nike, Puma, All Star, Hubot, Tom Ford, Gucci, La Mitina and Paul and Shark.

Urged to take action

The operation, which has been in place for a week, discovered R64m of counterfeit goods in total, as a well as a manufacturing house distributing illegal goods.

“At this warehouse, undocumented persons were also found – some of whom were believed to be held on the site against their will. Another group of undocumented persons working in a restaurant illegally were also found hiding underneath industrial stoves at the establishment,” Mashaba added.

Mashaba said the operation had found 32 undocumented persons and urged the Department of Home Affairs to intervene. 

“It is essential that the national Department of Home Affairs finally takes action and ensures that those entering the country do so legally. Failure to do so indeed puts those persons at risk from exploitation, such as in the present circumstances,” he concluded.

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A farm attacker standing next to a motionless Johan van Wyk, who was seriously injured after being shot multiple times in a farm attack on November 11, wanted to know what a box of rose petals on the dining room table would be used for.

When Van Wyk’s fiancée Hanlie Barnard said it was to be used at their wedding in December, the attacker laughed and kicked Van Wyk, saying: “Why would you marry a dead man?” Rapport reported on Sunday.

The suspect and three accomplices then reportedly fled.

Van Wyk’s son Tony, who is in matric, spoke to Rapport following the gruesome attack on the family on their chicken farm close to Lanseria in Gauteng. 

News24 earlier reported that police were on the hunt for the gunmen who had shot Van Wyk eight times.

According to Diepsloot police spokesperson Captain Tinyiko Mathebula, Van Wyk was treated at Helen Joseph Hospital and was in a stable condition.

Looking for weapons

Cases of house robbery and attempted murder are under investigation.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, said Van Wyk had been sitting on his veranda on that Sunday evening when the armed robbers approached him and started shooting.

The man was taken to his lounge where Barnard, her mother and his four children were gathered.

The children, aged 6, 11, 13 and 18, were unharmed.

Two of them escaped through a side door and ran to a neighbour’s house where they called for help. The robbers apparently shot at them, but missed.

According to the neighbour, the robbers were looking for weapons and threatened the 13-year-old girl by holding a gun to her head, demanding to know where the weapons were.

However, there were no guns on the property, the neighbour added.

The robbers apparently took cellphones, television sets and jewellery, according to the neighbour.

He said a pair of red and white takkies, a bag, a pocket knife and a beanie worn by one of the robbers were found on the scene.

According to the neighbour, the children are with family members.

A woman who witnessed the arrival of the family at Life Fourways Hospital said they appeared to be in shock and were covered in blood when they arrived.

No arrests have been made.

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