GAUTENG premier Nomvula Mokonyane waxed lyrical during her State of the Province address in Mamelodi on Monday, detailing her provincial government’s achievements since the last speech and laying out plans for the next year.

The province has much for which it can be proud, but there is still a lot to improve on. Some of the failures are due to incompetence, a laissez-faire attitude or a woeful culture of unaccountability. Some it is due to factors beyond the province’s control, such as the lamentable state of our economy and the influx of migrants from other parts of the country and even beyond the country’s borders. As Mokonyane quaintly put it, this means that Gauteng is sometimes the victim of its own success. Drawn by the bright lights, schools and jobs, the masses come from the country’s hinterland, from southern, east and even west Africa, to claim their place in the sun.

The province is a blend of colours, a cauldron of cultures and a hodgepodge of humanity all looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A massive 12-million souls call this province home.

With only 1.4 percent of South Africa’s land area, this tiny province punches way above its weight, contributing 33 percent to the national economy and an incredible 10 percent to the GDP of the entire African continent.

During her speech, Mokonyane came armed with statistics that show that her government, despite daunting odds, is attempting to tackle the challenges it faces. There were impressive figures of amounts spent on education, healthcare, housing, HIV/Aids, job-creation, public transport and crime-fighting efforts.

However, much still needs to be done in the realms of the provision of healthcare, and the improvement of payment levels to its debtors. Many small companies have gone out of business due to the province’s lethargy in paying for services.

How about that, Madam Premier?