The Premier has once again put the blame for KwaZulu-Natal's precarious financial position on the global economic recession without acknowledging that it is partly the result of gross overspending by the previous ANC government.

"The multi-billion rand overdraft which is only being addressed belatedly and slowly has created a host of macroeconomic burdens for KwaZulu-Natal in addition to the global economic meltdown," said Leader of the Official Opposition in the province Dr Bonginkosi Buthelezi.

Whereas some of the over-expenditure has been unavoidable as a result of unfunded mandates, the IFP maintains that a large proportion can be traced back to wasteful expenditure on self-promotion, advertising and unnecessary luxuries.

"For many years the ANC government behaved as if money was no object. Unless this culture is acknowledged and acted against, the incumbent government will find it hard to change the underlying culture of extravagance and excess," said Dr Buthelezi.

The IFP has dismissed the bulk of this year's State of the Province Address as a bland extension and continuation of ongoing government programmes and initiatives. "There are few fresh ideas and little innovation. The government is going full steam ahead with programmes, many of which have not yielded tangible results to date. The ANC's hands remain tied by ideology and complacency," said Dr Buthelezi.

The IFP has been disappointed not to hear anything specific or credible about speeding up forensic investigations into fraud and corruption, addressing internal inefficiencies within government departments or measuring the performance of civil servants in auditable terms.

"We hoped for a commitment to cheaper ARVs and medicines in general by way of redefining inflexible procurement rules, or insistence on individual responsibility for failure on the part of MECs and senior officials. Instead, we get a vague commitment to improve on the current practices and to streamline ‘cadre deployment'," said Dr Buthelezi.

The IFP will respond to the Premier's State of the Province Address in detail during tomorrow's parliamentary debate.