KZN PREMIER DELIVERS STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS

"This newly-formed government will focus on the elimination of all the root causes of poverty and underdevelopment, and we invite each and every citizen to join us in this framework which is a journey to create an equitable and prosperous country” these sentiments captures the preamble of KwaZulu-Natal Premier,Dr Zweli Lawrence Mkhize, when he delivered the state of the province address on Thursday morning.

Mkhize told the provincial legislature that his government wishes to highlight the issues that were part of the electoral mandate which is to focus the collective deployment of all available resources and mobilize the people towards the attainment of priorities which will have a catalystic effect towards achieving strategic goals.

He assured the people of KZN that running the provincial government was no easy task, and called upon all the roleplayers and stakeholders to play their part in making a meaningful contribution towards the creation of a better life for all in South Africa.

“The ruling ANC government invites all the people of KZN to join us in taking the first steps of a long and ardous journey to create a better future for our country and all future generations.
Let us work together to create that hope for a better future” cajoles Mkhize.

As the newly-elected government, added Mkhize, we have come to terms with the global economic downturn and the full impact and the manifestations it was having to the provincial gross domestic product (GDP).

Mkhize noted that the main focus of his speech was centred on the ANC’s 52nd Polokwane conference resolutions that prioritized education, health facilities, creation of jobs and rural development.
“All government service delivery programmes and interventions in the building of our economy will be premised on the underlying desire to fight and eradicate poverty and all the other afflctions that continue to under-develop our people”.
Poverty remains the major contributor to preventable diseases and creates a vicious cycle of hunger, and also contributes to social instability such as crime and moral decay that compounds the impact of under-development” emphasized Mkhize.

In line with fast-tracking rural development and agrarian reform, Mkhize announced the ‘self-help’ intervention aimed to fight and eradicate poverty
This intervention is aptly called the “One Home One Garden” campaign and will be spearheaded by the state apparatus.
“We will launch the One Garden One Home on Mandela Day (18 July); and is structured to ensure viability and communities will be mobilized into secondary co-operatives at the level of traditional community areas, local or district municipal level to channel the support that government will offer” outlined Mkhize.

Mkhize explained that the emphasis of his government will be on communities doing things for themselves as they aim to outlaw the culture of dependence and entitlement whereby the democratic government was seen to be doing things for the people, and he specifically cited the numerous social support grants that were given to the ‘infirmed and deserving citizens’.

“The new approach will see the state providing capacity-building mechanisms and a new culture will be established whereby the government is doing something with the people, rather that doing things for the people” said Mkhize.

However, the opposition parties in the legislature dismissed Mkhize’s address as hollow and they also argued that he ‘must be seen to walk the talk’.

Democratic Alliance Caucus leader John Steenhuizen criticised the state of the province address and said it failed to tackle pertinent issues such as crime, the eradication of corruption, incompetence and maladministration by senior public servants.
“The Democratic Alliance would have expected the ruling party to put in place effective strategies and policies to regulate the best practice by public service administration and adopt a zero tolerance against the unlawful procurement tendencies whereby major government tenders were given to the ANC-connected individuals and their cronies that were incompetent” remarked Steenhuizen.

And the provincial chairperson of the Inkatha Fredoom Party Muntomuhle Khawula felt Mkhize’s commitment to clean government was good and his party will monitor the Anc-led governance closely.

“The Premier’s ommitment to fight crime and corruption sounds good but the IFP expects him to ‘walk the talk'.
Charity begins at home, and it is for this reason that as the IFP we’re calling for forensic investigations and audit about the state funds that were misappropriated by a high-ranking official (Head of Department) and was reported in various newspapers prior to the 22 April 2009 elections, yet the said official remain in government employ as if nothing happened.
To be seen to be committed to fighting crime and corruption, Premier Mkhie must do the right thing and suspend the Speaker of the House Peggy Nelisa Nkonyeni who presently facing serious criminal charges of corruption in the Pietermarizburg Regional Court” said Khawula.
Ends