Some five years ago the Democratic Alliance (DA) embarked on a mission to rescue KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), its economy and jobs. Citizens and businesses in particular had been in an abusive relationship with the governing party for far too long.
DA proposals that there would be a fundamental shift in the political landscape were indeed correct as were our predictions that we would one day be in a position to make meaningful and impactful changes to the economy and the lives of our people. Now more than ever, the agenda of job creation and taking a firm hand on the growth of the local economy is paramount. KZN’s new government of provincial unit (GPU) has the enormous task of rebuilding what was broken.
Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) is a portfolio that has, for far too long, been used and abused for eat, meet and greet engagements. As South Africans still languish under an unacceptably high expanded unemployment rate – NOW is the time to trim the fat from an already lean budget. This means advertising, snacks, lavish parties and wasteful expenditure on non-critical Indabas must be shelved with urgency. Funds must be directed at small businesses – particularly in rural regions where our youth are crying out for a helping hand from government.
Turning to KZN’s entities, the DA is cautiously optimistic that the merger will see a streamlined and focused intervention in areas of film production, tourism and liquor licensing. Our provinces new leadership must now bring about the lucrative film production industry exploding in our beautiful province. Concurrently, KZN Tourism could do much more to attract foreign visitors. We have it all. The berg, beaches and bush. Our cultural capital can also be harnessed through tourism to drive an agenda of positive economic reform.
But herein lies the problem that KZN EDTEA MEC, Reverend Musa Zondi needs to address. The boards of many entities continue to be littered with former ANC councillors, cadres and friends of the former administration. This is untenable! A new government cannot bring change when the old guard stands ready in the boardrooms of our entities.
It would also be remiss of the DA not to highlight how the administration of EDTEA embarks on its own tangent of so-called service delivery and economic development projects. Political leadership and decisions are seemingly overlooked as officials adopt a business-as-usual attitude. This cavalier attitude to bringing meaningful jobs and opportunity to KZN’s most needy citizens must be urgently nipped in the bud.
There are many practical examples of the administration ticking boxes while burning issues remain unresolved. KZN is yet to become an economic powerhouse in cannabis production – despite years of debate on the matter – while the Moses Khotane Institute of Technology dabbles with the concept. The question is: When will we see grass roots development of a multi-billion Rand industry? When will we see the desperately needed jobs that will bolster our strained economy? The DA stands ready to support and fast track legislation and programmes to develop alternate crops.
Then there is Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) and its cataclysmic failures. The largest entity by budget – Ezemvelo has staggered from failure to failure over more than a decade. From a budgetary perspective, capital and operating budgets will have to be radically ramped up if the entity is to fulfil its core function of biodiversity preservation.
The management of Ezemvelo have, through an act of omission, also allowed more than 200 rhino and countless elephants to be poached – every year! Park fences are a disaster, and some conservation areas such as Amatikulu may as well be written off after being completely invaded. No money for sustainable repairs, low occupancy rates, bad community relations and even fuel shortages are just some of the entity’s failings.
Ezemvelo has proved that it is incapable of enacting the commercialisation strategy that could have earned it a handsome income. Years of dithering – and not implementing the well-considered directives from the Conservation and Environmental Affairs Committee have left the entity at the door of bankruptcy.
Unfortunately, Ezemvelo will be a financial millstone around the necks of the neck of KZN’s GPU. And with competing needs in Health and Education – there are only two solutions – either swift commercialisation strategies linked to the private sector – or a complete forensic and performance-based investigation into exactly who has let down our natural heritage so dismally within this entity.
The DA will continue to hold those officials accountable for the failings and devastation of KZN’s entities.