Inauguration Speech by the Premier of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal Honourable Senzo Mchunu at Harry Gwala Stadium
26 May 2014
His Majesty, Hlanga Lomhlabathi;
Former Premier Dr Zweli Mkhize
Former Members of the Executive Council;
Honourable Members of the Legislature;
Members of the diplomatic corps;
Leadership of the ANC
Alliance Partners;
Business leaders;
First Lady Mrs Thembeka Mchunu and Mchunu Family
Distinguished guests;
Fellow citizens
I want to extend my greetings and to express my deep-felt gratitude to you that you have set aside everything to lend weight and dignity to the inauguration of the Premier of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal.
This inauguration is by no means an ordinary event. It is the culmination of an electoral process which has been supported by millions of our people throughout the corners of our province.
I am therefore, under no illusion when I declare that this day does not belong to me but it belongs to you and the brave heroes and heroines who forfeited the comforts of their homes. They dedicated their lives to ensure that we attain this freedom and democracy.
As we are gathered here: we must all pause and remember those disciplined men and women who dared to dream of a united, free, democratic, non-racial and prosperous South Africa.
This day is the fulfillment of the dreams of Alan Paton, Jack Govender, Harry Gwala, Helen Joseph, Billy Nair, Bishop Colenso, Griffiths Mxenge, Ruch First, Nokuhamba Nyawo, Archbishop Denis Hurley, Dawood Seedat, A.K.M Docrat, P.M. Harry, Fatima and IF Meer, Cliffon Brown, John Beaver Marks, Josiah Gumede and many of our heroes and heroines to many to mention.
The contribution of other well-known leaders who hail from different communities is well documented and forms part of a very proud history of our beloved province.
Because of their unwavering dedication, we are proud that 20 years after we attained freedom, KZN is home to citizens of different racial and cultural backgrounds who make up the rich and diverse tapestry of our cultural heritage.
When we celebrated Freedom Day on the 27th April 2014 at Moses Mabhida Stadium, we celebrated the fact that the new South African democracy was founded on the principles of forgiveness, reconciliation, mutual respect and acceptance of our diversity.
We celebrated the fact that our twenty years of freedom have been twenty years of growing unity in action. We have all witnessed twenty years of peace and stability and twenty years of hard work by the leadership of this province and the country as a whole.
Importantly, the 75, 98% voter turn-out during elections here in KZN is an indication that the people of this province - Blacks, Indians, Whites and Coloureds do not only want to see our province achieve a better life for all, but they are also prepared to do whatever is necessary to ensure that KZN help South Africa to Move forward.
Compatriots, Ladies and Gentlemen, the inauguration of the Fifth premier of the province of KwaZulu-Natal Province therefore, gives us the opportunity to look at the strengths that we must utilize to ensure that KZN help South Africa to Move Forward. Central to our efforts should be the unity of our people across all racial groups.
Having already begun the journey of another Third Decade of our Freedom and Democracy, I am confident that the experience we have acquired since the ANC was put firmly in charge of the provincial government would help us to build on the successes of the Two Decades of our Freedom and Democracy.
In view of the fact that today we are also announcing the new executive council, I want to assure the Judge President and the people of KwaZulu-Natal in general that as elected representatives of the aspirations of millions of our people, we will cast our eyes into the future with a clear understanding that failure is not an option.
I understand that eroding the hope about the future of this province will be a source of anger and frustrations for many unemployed and poor people. We have been entrusted with the responsibility of using state resources to address their needs.
Therefore, under this administration diverting the resources of the state for self-enrichment and other purposes will not be ac. The resources of the state will be used to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable members of our society.
Both elected representatives and civil servants will be expected to take pride in their work and fulfil their responsibilities of serving the people of KwaZulu-Natal as a whole.
Importantly, this government will ensure that communities are educated to understand their rights and the quality of service they are entitled to from their government.
I believe that when citizens are empowered with information and when they fully understand what services to expect, they can be in a position to expose shoddy work and laziness in the public service.
We have an obligation to ensure that our people are able to resist corrupt officials whose practices are aimed at extracting bribes for services they are paid to render.
Critically, as elected representatives of our people we must be alive to the fact that the poor are most vulnerable to corruption. Both in terms of not being educated enough to demand what rightfully belong to them and for being easy targets for intimidation, extortion and bribery.
Exploiting and abusing illiterate, poor and desperate members of our society will be the betrayal of the spirit of the founding father of this democratic government, our revered former President Nelson Mandela.
Speaking during Human Rights Day on the 21st March 1998 at Taylors Halt Stadium few kilometres away from here, Tata Madiba remarked:
"On this day we rededicate ourselves to the defence of the human rights which are guaranteed in our constitution, the basic law of our land. And we recall our pledge as a nation that never again shall one be oppressed by another."
"Our experience, and the experience of all humanity, also tells us that our rights will remain without their real substance unless there are real improvements in the lives of our people."
This message serves as a reminder that we must always be vigilant and deal decisively with those in government who through their conduct, knowingly or unknowingly, oppresses any member of our society.
This message essentially reminds us that there can be no rights and prosperity for a selected few while the majority of our people continue to live in poverty with their rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights violated daily.
The position of ANC leaders, elected to serve in the legislature and cabinet, is that this freedom does not belong to those who are in power or to those who are employed by government.
This freedom belongs to the ordinary people of our province. We will ensure that they enjoy it.
During this term of office there are three important elements that encompasses the "non-negotiables" in respect of rendering services to our people: -
Firstly, there will be an ongoing training to ensure that those in public service understand the burden of poverty. Civil servants must understand that state resources should be used solely to transform our society.
Secondly, we will ensure the enforcement of ethical conducts and respectful behavior for the community by those in public office.
Thirdly, the Office of the Premier will be tasked with the responsibility of co-ordinating regular citizens-satisfaction surveys to measure the impact this government is making in improving service delivery.
Citizens will be given the opportunity to express their dissatisfaction and to point out weaknesses and strengths in relation to service delivery. This is what democracy is all about - giving the citizens the platforms and tools to assess the performance of the government they elected.
Government departments, government entities and municipalities will be subjected to this citizens-satisfaction survey which will be carried out in partnership with leaders of various communities and big business.
Compatriots, I want to make a clarion call to the leadership of this province at all levels that we must march into the future as a province driven by ethos of working hard to ensure a better life for our people.
Together we must ensure that in the next five years we make a serious impact in defeating the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
This is a call which has been made by the President of the Republic His Excellency J.G Zuma and clearly articulated in the manifesto of the ruling party, the African National Congress.
This province is blessed with many capable leaders across all sectors of society who have a vision for a prosperous future. However, what is urgently needed is to choose the right path that will enable all of us to reach our destination.
It is for this reason that the ANC-led government has identified Five Priorities that will be the focus over the next five years.
These priorities are:-
1. Creation of more jobs, decent work and sustainable livelihoods for inclusive growth: Taking a cue from the objectives articulated in the National Development Plan, we will use our very own Provincial Growth and Development Plan to build an inclusive economy that create job opportunities for millions of our people.
Working with big business, we will unlock job opportunities in different sectors of our economy such as agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, freight and logistics, maritime, automotive, rail, and a range of other opportunities.
We will assist all 10 district municipalities including eThekwini Metro to develop District Growth and Development Plans that are aligned to the PDGP. This exercise will ensure that local government play a critical role in promoting economic growth, job creation and alleviation of poverty.
2. Rural development, land reform and food security: Because of our past, many people in rural areas remain physically, socially and economically isolated from many opportunities. The inequalities amongst our people mean that we have to utilize our political freedom to attain emancipation for the majority that remains side-lined and marginalized.
We will put greater emphasis on the coordination and integration of all programmes for rural development and land reform.
Many rural areas are rich in mineral deposits such as coal. KZN is blessed with natural resources such as timber and sugarcane including game reserves. We will ensure investment to convert such resources into wealth that builds rural economies for the benefit of rural communities who are the real owners of the land.
I want to express my firm commitment to ensuring stability in the agriculture as a sector. We will have regular meetings with farmers and farm workers in order to deal with issues that affect them on a daily basis. We will focus on issues of safety, food security and how we can ensure that agriculture becomes a leading sector of our economy during this term of office.
Through the rollout of INkululeko Development Project, we will construct road infrastructure and ensure access to basic amenities such as water and sanitation, electricity, recreational facilities and social infrastructure such decent hospitals, schools, libraries and academic institutions for millions of our people in remote rural areas.
The creation Agri-Villages will be speeded to ensure that farming communities have access to government services such as schools, healthcare facilities, decent housing and others.
3. Education: We want to ensure an improvement in our matric results from the previous term of office. To achieve this, our major focus is on the creation of a strong support base for our education system consisting of community leaders and civil society. Our message is that, for quality learning to take place we must all play a role. We condemn criminal conducts committed in our schools as this is robbing learners of the opportunity of being able to reach their optimal academic and educational potential. We will prioritise the delivery and distribution of leaner-teacher support materials. We will also ensure that schools have adequate teachers in all subjects.
Due to the fact that learners spend approximately half of their hours at school, we undertake to invest more in school infrastructure such as classrooms, libraries, laboratories and information communication and technology. We want to ensure that our learners not only progress to the next level, but we want to produce learners capable of providing solutions to local socio-economic challenges before and after completion of Grade 12.
4. Health: During this term of office we will move with speed to towards the introduction of the National Health Insurance system. There is no turning back. We have seen an improvement in the provision of quality healthcare to our people in our NHI pilot sites in Amajuba, UMzinyathi and UMgungundlovu. We are convinced more than ever before that this is the only system that will eradicate all the inequalities in the provision of healthcare to the people of this province.
Building on the achievements of the ANC-led government in the previous term of office, we commit this government to building a healthier nation with programmes to fight diseases such TB, HIV and Aids being strengthened.
This will also involve the establishment of Aids Ward Committees, District and Local HIV and Aids Councils by municipalities across the province. Regular progress reports of these councils on the fight against HIV and Aids will be presented quarterly before the Provincial HIV and Aids Council which is chaired by the premier.
In order to make progress in the reduction of maternal and child mortality rates, we will start the process of introducing midlevel workers especially in the management of Mother and Child Health as part of the Primary Health Care programme. We also want to make a serious assault against communicable diseases and social ills through the grassroots mobilization.
As part of infrastructure development programme, we will continue to build new clinics and hospitals across the province. We will ensure that these health facilities are staffed with adequate, well-trained and carrying staff.
5. Fighting crime and corruption: We commit the provincial government to remain firm against fraud and corruption. We will come hard on those involved in corruption associated with the supply chain and procurement sections. Through the contract management system to be introduced in our Supply Chain and Procurement Management Units, we will combat fraudulent issuing of tenders and contracts to unskilled and undeserving entrepreneurs.
All contracts should pass the scrupulous test of value for money through a fair and transparent competitive process. Criminality in the award of tenders will land those involved in prison. We encourage members of the public to notify government if they know any suspicious conduct of officials involved in the Supply Chain Management.
We encourage members of the public to use the Tender Appeals Tribunal which offers members of the public the opportunity to question any process in the awarding of tenders. We will establish Tender Appeals Tribunal in various municipalities across the province as part of our anti-corruption efforts.
100 Days of Action and Commitment
Honoured Guests, while the details of the programme of action of this government will be unveiled during the State of the Province Address, I wish to take this opportunity to announce that over the next 100 days we commit this government to deliver the following:-
1. As part of the slums clearance campaign. We want to ensure that 350 families in Jika Joe informal settlements - few kilometres away from here - are accommodated in emergency units while the construction of 1000 Community Residential Units is underway.
We will hand over 1500 units with electricity and running water to beneficiaries in Groutville.
We will also hand over 100 units to beneficiaries in Masinenge in Hibiscuss Coast and Umzinto.
The slums clearance campaign will also target various sections in Umlazi such as Q, W, D and H. We are planning to ensure that at least 350 units have access to basic services such as electricity, water and sanitation services.
3. Electricity: We will provide electricity to communities in Ofafa, Mahhehle, Emakhabeleni and KwaGcothoyi.
4. Water: We will rollout out the War on Leaks Programme targeting identified areas such as Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu. Artisans from local communities will be trained and employed to fix water leaks in order to reduce water shortages.
5. We will also revisit the Greater Dukuduku Project Area to monitor progress and to open the new bulk water system which will provide water to this community who have long complained about the lack of services. We will also launch an Expanded Public Works Programme which will create job opportunities for local communities. This will involve weed eradication and agricultural projects.
6. Techno Hub: Over the next 100 days we will initiate technology hubs in Pietermaritzburg, Newcastle, Port Shepstone and Richards Bay. Most growing economies rely on technology and we believe that for KZN to leapfrog stages of economic development, we need to ensure that we invest in technology to sustain our different economic sectors and make them globally competitive.
7. Government Precinct: Over the next 100 days, Cabinet will announce progress regarding the development of Government precinct in Pietermaritzburg.
8. Shortage of health professionals: In order deal with the shortage of health professionals, pharmacists in particular, we will ensure that within the next 100 days we send a group of students to study overseas. We will finalize an offer from First Rand Bank to get 15 students to study in India. In our hospitals we have a total of 617 full time pharmacists against a total of 727 posts with a current vacancy rate of approximately 16%, and
9. We will establish a process with the broader Emadlangeni Municipality at Utrecht to resolve land use tensions in order to fully realise the agricultural potential. We will speed up an investigation into the possibility of establishing a new Agri-Village in this area.
In addition I wish to wish to announce the reconfiguration of the provincial government departments. The Gaming and Betting is to be transferred from the Office of the Premier to Provincial Treasury.
Environmental Affairs is to be transferred from Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to Economic Development.
KwaZulu-Natal Ezemvelo, a public entity, is to be transferred from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to Economic Development and Tourism.
The Department of Economic Development and Tourism is now to be called Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
At this stage I wish to present to you and the people of KwaZulu-Natal Province, the Members of the Executive Council who will act as champions of service delivery during this term of office.
They will ensure the implementation of the priorities highlighted in the electoral manifesto of the African National Congress, as the ruling party.
1. MEC for Education - Ms Neliswa Peggy Nkonyeni
2. MEC for Health - Dr Sbongiseni Maxwel Dhlomo
3. MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison - Mr Willies Mchunu
4. MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development - Mr Cyril Xaba
5. MEC for Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation - Ms Ntombikayise Sibhidla-Saphetha
6. MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs - Ms Nomusa Dube Ncube
7. MEC Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs - Mr Michael Mabuyakhulu
8. MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works - Mr Ravi Pillay
9. MEC for Finance - Ms Belinda Scott
10. MEC for Social Development - Ms Weziwe Thusi
Compatriots, Honoured Guests - KwaZulu-Natal Province has come a long way. It was unimaginable 20 years ago that one day the people of KZN would witness such political stability and economic growth.
We condemn all the incidences of violence in various parts of the province.
Despite challenges we may face along the way, I am confident that the people of KwaZulu-Natal will rise to the occasion. I believe that over the next five years we will make KZN a far better place than it was 20 years ago.
In order to make an impact, I commit this government to working with ordinary members of society, traditional leaders, religious leaders, NGOs, academic institutions and big business. All members of Cabinet including myself as the Premier will work towards uniting our people behind a common goal of creating a winning nation.
Hlanga Lomhlabathi, Bayede!!!!!
We are blessed to have been joined by His Majesty. We appreciate your guidance and constructive criticism. It was heart-warming to see you at the Union Building during the inauguration of the President.
I want to express my appreciation to all members of cabinet who served in the previous term of office including the Premier. I salute them for their dedication towards improving the lives of the people of KwaZulu-Natal.
This province has developed a good reputation and is known for good governance and hard work. This is the legacy the previous members of the executive council have left behind.
You remain the finest talent that has ever been deployed by the African National Congress. The vote of confidence in the ANC as expressed in the general elections is an indication of your unwavering commitment. We will forever be indebted to you.
Equally, I want to express my appreciation to the people of KwaZulu-Natal Province for the support over the years. We are humbled by the messages of support that have been pouring over the past few weeks. We rely on your ongoing support as we ensure that KZN help South Africa to Move Forward.
I thank you
Front row from left: MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs -Nomusa Dube-Ncube, MEC for Transport, Community Safety & Liaison -Willies Mchunu, KZN Premier - Senzo Mchunu, MEC for Education - Neliswa Peggy Nkonyeni, MEC for Arts, Culture, Sports & Recreation - Ntombikayise Sibhidla-Saphetha. Back row from left: MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development-Cyril Xaba, MEC for Human Settlements & Public Works -Ravi Pillay, MEC for Finance -Belinda Scott, MEC for Health -Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, MEC for Social Development - Weziwe Thusi, MEC Economic Development, Environment & Tourism -Mike Mabuyakhulu.
(Photograph by: Reinhardt Hartzenberg)
Issued by the Office of the KwaZulu-Natal Premier, May 26 2014
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