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The recent Heritage Day event staged in Chatsworth, Durban by the
KwaZulu Natal Government turned out to be more of an ANC publicity
exercise than a celebration of the heritage of the diverse people of our
Province.

It was disconcerting to see people wearing ANC T-shirts being bussed
into an event paid by taxpayers. Being disciplined and respecting the
occasion, we informed IFP members not to wear any Party regalia and they
complied.

Premier Zweli Mkhize in his address mentioned that there were 1 294
drug-related crimes between 01 April last year to 31 March this year.
What the Premier needs to understand is that these are just the reported
cases and does not convey a true reflection of the high number of
incidents of drug-related crimes that plague our community. Apart from
these, the crime rate in Chatsworth has escalated to an alarming extent –
so much so that residents live as virtual prisoners in our own homes,
places of worship have also become targets for criminals, private home
functions are no longer safe from robberies and hijackers, and
businesses big and small are robbed on a regular basis. The municipality
and the provincial government talk of slum clearance and preventing the
building of new shacks but one need to drive around Chatsworth and see
shacks being built on a daily basis and nothing is being done about
this. Shack settlements have devalued property in Chatsworth and have
become hiding grounds for criminals. Even law-abiding people living in
these shacks are living in fear.

The issues of drugs, crime and lack of suitable housing are issues that
I have raised in the KZN Legislature and will be monitoring the promises
made by the premier to hold a crime summit and the setting up of a team
to tackle the problem of drugs, law enforcement and the possibility of
construction of a drug rehabilitation facility in Chatsworth.