Durban — Opposition parties have lamented the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government’s failure to deliver on its promises.
This rapidly became apparent during the State of the Province Address (Sopa) debate in the legislature on Tuesday.
DA provincial leader Francois Rodgers said the ANC was good on promises but lacked delivery. He reminded the premier about her promises on fighting the rampant fraud and corruption within the government sector, which she had not yet delivered on.
“Premier, the people’s patience is wearing thin. This ANC-run government is big on promises but very limited on implementation.
“Allow me to give some examples, the first of which is specific to a capable and ethical state and which comes from the then-premier’s 2021 Sopa,” said Rodgers.
He added that KZN residents were now faced with water, power, poor infrastructure service delivery and other problems and questioned the government’s proposed eradication of transit camps which the provincial government had failed to deliver on.
He said Dube-Ncube had inherited a poisoned chalice and that the province had fallen into a state of disrepair.
Responding, Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said the province had discussed the vetting processes of the government officials. She also blamed municipalities that were not delivering services to the communities.
On the issue of crime, Dube-Ncube believed that it could not be ended by leaders alone. She said there was a need to take the fight against crime to communities because criminals were known and hidden by community members who bought stolen items from them.
IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa denounced the drama that occurred in the legislature, caused by the EFF, in front of the king.
The premier apologised to King Misuzulu for the EFF’s behaviour, which they staged in front of him, and also for the Nkanku iSipingo issue.
Hlabisa also blamed the vehicle theft syndicates taking place in the area of Mhlabuyalingana, saying this was happening under the full watch of the ANC.
He mentioned the murder of the activist who fought against the vehicle syndicates in the area, Judas Mthethwa, calling him a martyr.
“The people of KZN have lost hope in the ANC because of it failing to protect them from criminals. Crime that has ravaged the communities, also causing chaos in schools, was also blamed at the door of the ruling party,” said Hlabisa.
Dube-Ncube said the issue of Mozambique and South Africa at the Manguzi border was being attended to by both the provincial government and SAPS because of the rampant cross-border vehicle theft in the area.
ATM leader ME Phakathi said people still lacked toilet facilities in the other communities of the province.
“Some of our people are victims of crime, in the DA-led ward 102 of eThekwini,” Phakathi said.
The ACDP’s Bishop SE Manqele said that government leaders should dedicate themselves to providing communities with the services they needed.
Dube-Ncube challenged all political parties to fight the scourge of gender-based violence and mentioned the recent reports of party leaders demanding sexual favours from women in return for municipal jobs as an example
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