Date: 16/04/2009

Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government

Title: KZN: Ndebele: Address by the KwaZulu-Natal Premier at a media breakfast

"A solid foundation for a Democratic and Prosperous KwaZulu-Natal has been laid."

We are only six days away from our fourth democratic general elections. During the last election in 2004, the profile of KwaZulu-Natal was a frightening reflection of what we were to face. We had schools without water and sanitation, numerous children who were heading households and poor service delivery in the areas of water, sanitation and electricity.

As the first African National Congress (ANC) led provincial government, which came into power in KwaZulu-Natal in 2004, we were able to work towards achieving the objects of social, economic and political transformation in the province.

Since 2004, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has worked, tirelessly, to create a democratic society based on the principles of equity, non-racialism and non-sexism.

The current government in KwaZulu-Natal has utilised the letter and spirit of the Freedom Charter. The Freedom Charter embodies a vision of an alternative society different from what we inherited in 1994 and, in the case of KwaZulu-Natal, in 2004. We have drastically reaffirmed our commitment to revolutionary struggle to bring into being a better society, founded on dignity and equality for all. The Province has thus been able to; fundamentally upgrade the levels of service delivery. In 2004, we declared war on poor service delivery, as reports, some commissioned by our predecessors, indicated that KwaZulu-Natal was the poorest performer in the country, in the provision of piped water, sanitation, refuse removal and electricity.

The Gross Domestic Product per Region (GDP-R) of the province of KwaZulu-Natal is now the second largest in the country.

New money on infrastructure spending, which is unprecedented in the history of the province, amounts to billions. These include:
* more than R2 billion being spent on the construction of the new Moses Mabhida stadium
* more than R6 billion being spent on the new King Shaka International airport and Dube Trade port at La Mercy
* the R350 million P700 corridor from Richards Bay to Ulundi, as well as R300 million on the P577 from Mtubatuba to Hlabisa and Nongoma.

KwaZulu-Natal is completing its most stable five years in the history of our province. We have moved from a province of gloom to a province of prosperity, occupying a well-deserved position of international prestige. No longer do people identify our province with, merely, its Big Five or its reputation for violence, but rather with the fruits of our development and success, which are evident for the entire world to see.

It was, indeed, humbling when I was called by a journalist on Tuesday (14 April 2009) afternoon and informed that I was rated as the best Premier in South Africa, based on an Ipsos Markinor Poll, rating government leadership in the country.

The journalist wanted to know my reaction to the poll and I said: Since 1994, when I was first appointed MEC for Transport in KwaZulu-Natal, I realised that it is important to listen to people and to try to put forward their interests. My greatest achievement in KwaZulu-Natal was far more than the delivery of houses and basic services such as water and electricity it was bringing peace and stability to the province. You can achieve so much more when you create a peaceful environment. It allows you to work as a team. It was teamwork within the ANC in the province, and in government, that saw KwaZulu-Natal faring well.

The Ipsos Markinor Poll rating follows recent comments by the Auditor-General (AG), Mr. Terence Nombembe, who praised us, as the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, for our commitment towards ensuring effective and efficient financial management of the various government departments in the province.

According to Mr Nombembe: "KwaZulu-Natal is the only province in South Africa, which is in excess of 45 municipalities, the province has 61 municipalities. The municipal audit outcomes and trends for the 2007/08 financial year is one of the best in South Africa. This is a very good success story of which KwaZulu-Natal must be extremely proud of. The national average percentage for audit completion is 75%, but KwaZulu-Natal achieved 98%."

The AG also said that KwaZulu-Natal faired well in terms of the audit outcomes and trends for provincial government departments, when compared to the other provinces in South Africa. Mr Nombembe's positive remarks on the state of financial management in KwaZulu-Natal follows the landmark achievement by the province's education department, which is one of the largest government departments in the country, of moving from repeated disclaimers since 1994 to an unqualified audit report in 2007/08.

The KZN Office of the Premier also scooped the prestigious Southern African Institute of Government Auditors (SAIGA) Annual Public Sector Reporting Awards for its excellence in annual reports. Of all national and provincial government departments in South Africa, the Office of the Premier in KwaZulu-Natal scored 92,25% against the overall average score of 86,34%.

A solid foundation for a democratic and prosperous KwaZulu-Natal has been laid.

KwaZulu-Natal is on the move. KwaZulu-Natal is a province at work. There is still so much to do.

The people and leaders of our province are blessed with an abundance of energy and potential. Therefore, I can confidently, say that this tradition of excellence in KwaZulu-Natal will be continued at a higher level. Together, we can do more.

Masisukume Sakhe!