Gauteng Premier David Makhura is expected to announce the provincial government’s recommitment to the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines. He’s also expected to pronounce on plans to stimulate the economy which has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Makhura will deliver the State-of-the Province Address during the official opening of the Gauteng Legislature on Tuesday.
His speech comes in the wake of a damning report by the Special Investigations Unit on corruption related to the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment. The report found that Gauteng had the highest number of reported corruption allegations.
Makhura is expected to outline his administration’s service delivery action plan for 2021 amidst the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and the resultant massive job losses experienced.
The other area is around social relief as many of the Gauteng residents live below the poverty line.
The province began rolling out the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to front-line workers last week and Makhura is expected to recommit the province to defeating COVID-19 by emphasising the importance of being vaccinated.
He will, however, have a tough time convincing residents that his administration is winning the battle against corruption following a damning SIU report relating to the procurement of and contracting for the provision of PPEs which led to him firing former Health MEC Bandile Masuku.
His administration’s fight against crime and gender-based violence was bolstered on Saturday with the unveiling of 55 high-performance vehicles for the police.
The video below reports that Gauteng faced the biggest tender scandal:
