The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng said it is serious about tackling crime, poverty, unemployment, illegal immigration and other issues which continue to affect service delivery and political stability in the province.
These were some of the talking points following the Gauteng PEC meeting held on 2 October and attended by various ANC leaders in the provincial structure.
On Wednesday, the party’s provincial leadership held a media briefing, on Wednesday, at the ANC Ruth First House in Johannesburg.
The briefing delved on the myriad outcomes taken by the party’s provincial executive committee during a meeting held on Monday.
ANC provincial secretary Thembinkosi Nciza indicated that the PEC is concerned about the employment of foreign nationals in restaurants and other establishment, saying the private sector was to blame for prioritising foreigners over South Africans in certain industries.
Nciza added that the ANC needs to do something to address the high levels of unemployment in the country.
“We have a private sector that is not coming to the party. We are calling upon them to start employing South Africans, and let’s agree on a quota, and we will engage - including our leaders at national.
“We must have a quota. We will start in Gauteng. We will engage on these matters, so we believe that it is time,” he said.
On the issue of crime, ANC Gauteng chairperson Panyaza Lesufi said the PEC has reflected on the “perilous state of crime” in the province.
“The Gauteng-led government in the province has made numerous interventions in the fight against crime. One of these, has been conducting focussed crime awareness campaigns at schools. Additionally, the government has invested significant resources in building the capacity of law enforcement agencies through crime prevention wardens who aiding the maintenance of law an order in communities most affected by crime,” he said.
On the state of local government, the party said it is concerned by the state of some municipalities in the province, especially in Tshwane.
“The PEC mandated the ANC led provincial government to find avenues of positive intervention in municipalities where there are identifiable areas of concern. The party further wishes to express its support for the workers of SAMWU who are engaged in the strike in the city of Tshwane. The ANC condemns the poor leadership that is being displayed by the DA led administration as they fail to reach an agreement with the workers,” the party said.