DA is playing politics over 100 deaths, says Makhura

GAUTENG Premier David Makhura has hit out at opposition parties, saying they are hellbent on discrediting all that the government does.

“The opposition’s job is to bring the government down,” Makhura told MECs during his response on the postSopa debate at the provincial legislature yesterday.

His comments come after he was chastised by opposition members over the deaths of more than 100 psychiatric mentally-ill patients transferred from the West Rand’s Life Healthcare Esidimeni Hospital to unlicensed NGOs last year. The DA said it still didn’t believe Makhura’s argument he wasn’t aware of the transfers.

Makhura was scathing in his reply to this.

“Unfortunately there are those in opposition benches who think that this tragedy gives them an opportunity to achieve their calculated political objective of discrediting our provincial government.”

He said many were baying for his blood and wanted him to resign.

“There are those on the opposition benches some of whom have said to me that whatever is happening I should understand this is a game of politics... it is being played in a way that is not desirable. I want to repeat, some have said to me this is just a game of politics.”

Makhura said in both the government party and the opposition benches he had a great deal of respect for men and women who contributed to help shape what the government was doing.

He further pointed out that family representatives had issued a statement calling on politicians to ensure the deaths are not used for “political scoring.”

He told all present political leaders that everyone needed to do their best to hold one another accountable in a manner that respected the appeal by the families.

Makhura said the Sopa delivered this week has been well received by communities.

He also took an indirect swipe at some DA leaders, saying he knew it would be career-limiting for them to acknowledge the good work his administration had done.

“We don’t need toxic politicians who are prepared to sacrifice everything, including evidence and truth, for the sake of power, for the sake of staying in positions of power.”

He said in Gauteng there was unprecedented progress in the area of jobs, township economy, infrastructure and creating opportunities for the youth.

He thanked those opposition members who were consistent in their criticism about areas where his administration lagged behind such as the DA’s Glenda Steyn who he bade farewell ahead of her retirement, saying she was always honest, always critical, objective and focused on the problem and not the person.

Meanwhile, Makhura condemned acts of violence and vigilantism related to xenophobia in Tshwane and called for political leaders to stand together and call for calm.

“We can’t afford violence and the killing of foreign nationals, watching and taking no action. It must not be done in our name,” he said.