KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala delivered his State of the Province Address last Friday in a hybrid session due to Covid-related restrictions. Image supplied
Durban - PREMIER Sihle Zikalala has called for peace during the local government elections scheduled for later this year.
Zikalala said the provincial multi-party intervention committee was already at work conducting direct engagements with individual political parties experiencing intra-party conflict.
“The plans also include the setting up of a multi-disciplinary enforcement task team that will pro-actively detect and attend to areas of potential threats,” Zikalala said when he delivered his State of the Province Address (Sopa) last Friday.
He also reported that his office was in the process of developing a “supportive programme” for the local elections which would also include “the ward delimitation process and and all other consultative processes”.
Municipal by-elections in uPhongolo and uMhlathuze are expected to take place on May 19 after they were postponed due to the continued Covid-19 level 3 lockdown restrictions which prohibited political activities.
The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) said “electronic voting was not on the cards yet” and that Parliament would pronounce on how this year’s elections would take place, given restrictions related to the pandemic but reported that they had sent a delegation to observe the electronic voting methods at last year’s Namibian elections.
“The term of office for sitting councillors ends on August 3 this year and we as the IEC have 90 days from that date to hold elections,” said KZN provincial communications officer for the IEC, Thabani Ngwira.
During the Sopa, Zikalala also announced the adoption of the KZN framework for consequence management which, according to the premier, would for the first time be “a practical instrument that serves as a remedy to curb fraud, corruption and mismanagement of public resources”.
“The framework will be linked to performance agreements, assessment and rewards in respect of all public servants in the province. Under this framework, we will expedite and finalise cases of corruption, fraud within the set time frames, ensure the protection of investigating and presiding officers against undue influence or threats, victimisation and other acts of intimidation.
“The framework also prescribes that recommendations and findings by investigating units are implemented within 30 days of their release by the relevant departments. Long pending cases of fraud and corruption will be finalised within 90 days,” he said.
The top five priorities of the provincial executive council lekgotla, held earlier in February, were intensifying the fight against the coronavirus, driving the province’s economic recovery through job creation, fighting crime and corruption, service delivery and building an ethical state.
The Durban Aerotropolis and clothing and textile industries were the two special economic zones that would spearhead and drive the premier’s job creation plans in the province.
“These investment projects will produce a total 3 435 permanent jobs,” Zikalala said.
The premier’s Sopa also said the provision of water would be prioritised in the province. “To this end, we have stepped up emergency water provision by way of boreholes and static tanks in targeted municipalities as a short-term intervention,” he said.
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has been directed to spend at least 8% of their municipal budgets on the maintenance of dysfunctional infrastructure causing water interruptions.
Daily News