Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi Unveils Plan to Combat Illegal Land Occupations through Biometric Systems in RDP Houses

The Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has announced plans to implement biometric systems at RDP houses in order to prevent illegal occupations, according to a recent article on News24. Lesufi stated that the system would use fingerprints instead of physical keys to open RDP houses.

Additionally, Lesufi plans to introduce a 24-hour anti-land invasion unit to prevent and stop the building of illegal houses. The Premier also shared his vision to upgrade informal settlements and hostels in the province, stating that a budget of R3.1 billion has been allocated to the human settlements department for this purpose.

Finally, Lesufi announced that 482 service stands with water, electricity, and roads had been released to speed up the building of houses in Gauteng.

In response to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s State of the Province Address (SOPA), Gauteng Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Solly Msimanga criticised the speech, describing it as “dreams”.

According to News24, Msimanga argued that Lesufi should focus on basic issues rather than grand plans, stating that Lesufi’s proposal to open RDP houses using biometric systems was unrealistic.

Msimanga also highlighted other proposals mentioned in Lesufi’s address, such as the purchase of helicopters and a bullet train, and suggested that Lesufi should address fundamental issues before offering such grand plans.

In contrast, Gauteng ActionSA chairperson Bongani Baloyi found the speech to be fair and valid and considered it to be the basis for Lesufi’s election campaign.

Baloyi also noted that the success of Lesufi’s plans would depend on their implementation, citing the ANC’s history of being unable to implement their own plans.

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Picture: Zimoja / PHILANI MZILA