By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli delivered his State of the Province Address (SOPA) at the Pietermaritzburg Provincial Legislature building this morning (Wednesday).
Ntuli, whose political party, the IFP, is part of the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) along with the ANC, DA, and NFP, was elected a month ago during the seventh provincial legislature’s first sitting.
The new provincial administration, established following the May general elections, inherited a government facing numerous challenges, including high levels of crime and financial instability.
In his address, Ntuli highlighted the challenges KZN has endured in recent years, including the July 2021 unrest and natural disasters.
Ntuli’s SOPA follows Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s opening of the Provincial Legislature on Tuesday.
He announced investment projects worth R1.4 billion at the Dube Tradeport. He also outlined plans to inject R2 billion into the local economy with the development of an Agri-Hub at the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone and a R150 million project to build a fresh produce market in the uMhlathuze Municipality.
Ntuli further called for collaboration between government and the construction industry in a bid to root out construction mafias.
“As this government, we must all work together to fight the construction mafia syndrome. There is no place for the construction mafia in our province. We will work with the construction industry to help the industry to grow,” he said.
Youth unemployment
“We are opening a new window for the R100 million Youth Empowerment Fund. Innovation is critical in creating a futuristic economy. In this area, we want to see new industries anchored on e-commerce, finance, information technology, e-hailing, and related services. For this reason, we will support new start-up industries in these fields,” Ntuli said.
The Premier added that a digital fund will also be set up to support creativity and innovation in the IT space for young people.
Reducing poverty and tackling high cost of living
The Premier said poverty remains a challenge despite various interventions and this necessitates more effective economic empowerment and inclusion strategies.
The Premier also touched on various projects that will prioritise engagements with sectors of society to find meaningful solutions to existing problems.
He added that there are also initiatives in place to improve healthcare and providing quality education.
Crime
Regarding crime, the Premier committed to convening engagements in all districts and the metro that will culminate into a Provincial Crime Summit.
“These engagements will enable all the role-players, ranging from Amakhosi, Izinduna, South African Police Service, mayors and councillors, religious leaders, crime prevention structures, business and broader communities to analyse the crime situation in the province and to come up with interventions that must be prioritised as part of their sector plan for crime fighting and crime prevention,” he said.
Gender Based Violonce and Femicide
He added that gender-based violence and femicide is a scourge that continues to put leadership to shame.
“The latest numbers of reported GBV&F incidents in Inanda, Umlazi and Empangeni are disturbingly high. The province will continue to fight this scourge through the Provincial Integrated Plan,” Ntuli said.
In his SOPA, Ntuli also invited the people of the province to be part of the new government through amongst other things, proposing solutions to some of the challenges currently faced by the province.
Meanwhile the DA provincial leader Francois Rodgers said the premier’s address struck the right chord, with many of the initiatives in line with the DA’s election pledges to the people of the province.
“The DA commends the Premier’s commitment to effective oversight within all areas of government. This includes unannounced inspections at KZN’s Health and Education facilities and municipalities, many of which demand urgent turnaround.