Today, the DA marks one year as a key role player within KwaZulu-Natal’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU).
It has been a year of positive change for the people of KZN, who now have a government focused on placing their needs first and realising our province’s true potential.
The move – from a single majority party government to a partnership consisting of KZN’s four leading political parties – has not been without its challenges. However, there have been notable successes.
The DA’s role within the GPU has allowed us to play a key part in critical decision-making that affects the people of our province. These roles include KZN Finance MEC, KZN Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) MEC, KZN Health portfolio committee chairperson, COGTA portfolio committee chairperson and KZN SCOPA portfolio committee chairperson.
Finance MEC, Francois Rodgers has made significant strides in transforming KZN’s economy, attracting investment and promoting job creation. He convened a high-level Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in Durban to improve relations between government and business, focusing on sustainable economic development. Government is also implementing a cost-containment instruction spearheaded by provincial treasury which has reduced KZN’s projected over-expenditure from R10billion to R800million.
MEC Rodgers has also strengthened relations with the AmaZulu Royal Household and is working on a beef production enterprise to ensure the monarchy’s fiscal independence. The MEC has also met with union leaders and invited them to participate in the budget process – a move wholly welcomed by labour representatives of more than 160 000 workers.
MEC Rodgers interventions within KZN’s municipalities include accelerating service delivery in uMngeni and addressing debt collection, credit control, overspending, and grant management issues in seven municipalities that require treasury support. KZN has also launched a digital Supply Chain Management (SCM) system to reduce wasteful expenditure and fraud. Provincial treasury will also establish a Data Analysis Centre to analyse financial data, enabling informed decision-making. The KZN cabinet has approved a financial recovery plan focusing on increasing revenue, fiscal discipline, transparency, debt management, and cash management.
DPWI MEC, Martin Meyer has, amongst others, clamped down on internal corruption, recently clearing a backlog of forensic investigations and finalising all departmental disciplinary processes. Externally, the DPWI has also established an Ethics Desk aimed at flagging early irregularities and mitigating corruption.
The department has also recently unblocked government projects worth R250millon and reduced IDA overdraft and unpaid contractors amounts from R900million to well within the 30-day payment period. More than R120million worth of unutilised government land and buildings has also been disposed of, to the benefit of KZN’s people.
The DA’s move from being KZN’s most effective opposition party to becoming part of the GPU has not changed our watchdog role. Instead, it has amplified it, while our various roles now allow us to push for real accountability.
The DA reaffirms its 2024 election promises to KZN’s people, in particular ensuring a strong provincial economy, job creation and proper service delivery. We also reaffirm our commitment to KZN’s people that their voices will be heard and to tackling the problems they face in the form of real, outcomes-based oversight.
As we head into the GPU’s second year, the DA remains committed to principle before politics and to working hard to achieve the capable, ethical and caring provincial government that KZN’s people deserve.