JACOB MAMABOLO: The Workaholic MEC Who Leads With Sweat On The Ground
By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief
The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.
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In a government where many leaders are known for press statements, Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Infrastructure Development Jacob Mamabolo is known for one thing: WORK.
They call him the ReASpana MEC — Let Us Work. And he lives it every day, on the ground, where service delivery matters most.
In the last 72 hours alone, his footprint was across Gauteng.
Just 16 hours ago, Mamabolo deployed waste teams across Ekurhuleni. The photos you sent tell the story — a woman in a blue overall and red gloves lifting black bags next to shops and taxi ranks, trucks rolling, streets being swept, illegal dumping cleared.
He posted it himself: "Waste teams are on the ground across Ekurhuleni, keeping communities clean through ongoing collection, clean-up, and maintenance operations. #BuildingSmartCities #FixingTheFrontline"
He did not complain about dirty cities. He cleaned them.
IN EMFULENI: FROM POTHOLES TO FARMS TO LIGHTS
In Falconridge and Arconpark, his High Impact Service Delivery Programme is underway — potholes patched, water leaks fixed, streetlights restored, public spaces cleaned.
In Rothdene, PARKS teams with tractors and leaf blowers cut overgrown grass and reclaimed parks. Residents saw it — #GrowingGautengTogether in action.
In Finetown, gravel roads are being turned into tar roads with walkways and stormwater drains. Asphalt surfacing is underway.
In Evaton Farms, after the Imbizo engagements, construction teams are now on site erecting poles for the re-electrification project. The lights are coming back on because he listened and acted.
And at Muller’s Farm Hall in Emfuleni, his team led by MMC Sefatsa Sefatsa sat with farmers — start-up and established — to discuss funding, land and support. Mamabolo understands that building smart cities starts with feeding them.
In Lesedi, Mamabolo sat with the Gauteng Legislature COGTA Portfolio Committee to assess Emfuleni, Lesedi and Midvaal — focusing on service delivery and financial viability. This follows his firm instruction to all 11 municipalities in Gauteng to end unauthorized, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
In Soshanguve, his three-week ReASpana programme just concluded after repairing roads, painting speed humps, fixing water leaks and cleaning the environment.
In Ekurhuleni again, he is leading civic awareness campaigns against GBV, property crime and lawlessness with SAPS, CPFs, the Legislature and Home Affairs — building safe and informed communities.
The proof is audited. Under Mamabolo, the Department of Infrastructure Development achieved:
- 3 consecutive years of unqualified audits
- 20.45% reduction in irregular expenditure
- R1.6 billion in infrastructure financing secured
He turned a troubled department into #ProudlyDID.
A former Member of the National Assembly, Mamabolo brought national experience to provincial execution. On Facebook he does not post politics. He posts proof — workers on the ground, farmers in halls, roads being paved, lights being restored.
Gauteng is cleaner, safer and better governed because one MEC believes leadership is not a title. It is sweat on the ground.
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