Godongwana says concerns about expedited service delivery ahead of big events misplaced

Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana said the repeated concerns raised about expedited service delivery ahead of big events in the country are misplaced.

Godongwana was reacting to criticism that the country has failed to deliver basic services to residents but has been quick to window dress in parts of the country ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit.

Gauteng is among provinces given a face lift before the arrival of G20 heads of state and other high-level guests for the last of the 2025 meetings under South Africa’s presidency.

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Godongwana joined Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi at a state of readiness briefing at Nasrec on Monday.

While Godongwana admits the concerns are warranted, he said the assumption that governmenthas ignored residents’ issues is untrue.

“Every time we have an event in South Africa, people will remind you ‘people are poor, people are doing this’. We know that but I take it as a form of an attack on the event because on a day-to-day basis, we are grappling with this question.”

He said South Africa is on track to address its socioeconomic challenges.

“Inequality is a function of poverty and one of the major instruments of dealing with poverty is employment but in the absence of employment, you put mitigating measures to deal with poverty. In that respect, South Africa is second to none.”

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