Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi. (File photo)
The administrative culture of the State of the Province address is now a 30-year-old adult, mature enough to be an active, responsible and well-articulate member of society. Thus, the performance of the provinces is now at a juncture where it can safely be interrogated as a consenting adult.
Perhaps, considering the state of South Africa, we need to pay closer attention to what the provinces are getting wrong than to what they are getting correct, what with the rampant poverty; high crime levels; deteriorating infrastructure and healthcare; unemployment and landlessness, with more than 600 informal settlements in Gauteng alone.
South Africa received a report from the president through the State of the Nation address. If the country was a medical patient, it would have recovered only 50% of its mobility post-surgery, after a diagnostic report of full-body paralysis. Thus, through South Africa’s cooperative governance system, it is time for the provincial executives to give us a diagnostic report to help us understand the state of our patient.
What remains critical for consideration across all provinces is the mobilisation of fiscal responsibility to maximise the use of revenue in the relevant departments. This follows years of financial mismanagement and auditor general reports of corruption in provincial executive structures.
Perhaps we need to go a step further to assess the responsibility of the provinces in achieving the national mandate of constitutionally. We also need to consider that the provinces have suffered significant financial mismanagement, with R7 billion in unauthorised and irregular expenditure in Gauteng in 2023 alone.
If South Africa was to add up the cost of mismanagement and wasteful/irregular expenditure over the past three decades, it would be a cause for a genuine concern over the constitutional mandate, legislative framework and skill sets within the provincial structures and underline the need to recalibrate the system.
The argument for recalibrating the system does not necessarily call for its complete overhaul, but rather an honest evaluation of its efficacy. The provincial governments were established to bring governance closer to the people, but if they have become conduits for corruption and inefficiency, then their role needs to be redefined. The question should not just be about whether to retain or abolish them but rather how to make them work effectively within the current socio-economic landscape.
A critical aspect of provincial governance is service delivery, yet South Africans continue to experience deteriorating public services. The health sector is in crisis with underfunded hospitals, staff shortages and medical supply deficiencies.
For example, at Gauteng’s Tembisa Hospital, financial irregularities have been discovered, with bogus transactions at the institution at about R3 billion. Added to this, it has a staff shortage of 50% and problems with deteriorating infrastructure. Infrastructure maintenance is often ignored until a crisis emerges.
The education sector, while making strides in access, still suffers from quality gaps and resource disparities.
If the provinces are failing in these fundamental aspects, is it not time to rethink their functionality?
Beyond fiscal responsibility, provinces need to reclaim their mandate of regional economic development. Each province has unique economic strengths, yet little effort is made to harness these for localised growth. The over-reliance on national government grants and equitable share allocations has created a culture of complacency. Provinces should be incentivised to generate revenue independently through industrial initiatives, tourism and investment-friendly policies.
Moreover, the effectiveness of provincial leadership must be scrutinised. Too often, political appointments are based on loyalty rather than competency. Provincial legislatures should prioritise merit-based appointments and establish stringent accountability measures. The lack of professionalisation in government departments has led to stagnation in governance. Without capable leadership at the provincial level, no amount of restructuring will yield tangible results. Thus, a skills audit is warranted.
If reforms are not introduced, the argument for the abolition of provincial governments will gain traction. A streamlined governance system that empowers local municipalities while strengthening national oversight could address some of the inefficiencies plaguing provinces. A hybrid model, where strategic functions, such as healthcare, education and infrastructure, are centralised, while local economic development is decentralised, could be a viable alternative.
Ultimately, the State of the Province addresses should not be merely an annual ritual filled with grand promises but rather a platform for genuine introspection. If provincial leaders are to be taken seriously, they must move beyond rhetoric and offer concrete, measurable solutions. The people of South Africa deserve a governance system that delivers, not one that merely survives on outdated frameworks and empty assurances.
Dimakatso Manthosi is an advocate for social, political and legal justice. He was a spokesperson for Move South Africa and a researcher, policy analyst and parliamentary researcher for Rise Mzansi.