He said the April 14 elections had contrary to the prophets of doom marked a peaceful transition of government.
The King also welcomed the presence of Deputy President Jacob Zuma at the legislature, thanking him for being present in the province.
Commenting that on April 14 "Democracy Triumphed", the King also congratulated the newly appointed Premier S'bu Ndebele.
He said he had no doubt that Mr Ndebele, given his ten years of experience in the provincial legislature; he would acquaint himself well in his endeavour to lead the province to a promised land.
"I trust that a spirit of mutual respect will guide all future endeavours. This province needs peace and reconciliation.
"KwaZulu-Natal has far too long been associated with violence. It is the responsibility of all our people, not only the leadership of this province, to shed this negative image."
The King said the period after the elections marked the dawn of a new image for KwaZulu-Natal where building a peaceful, stable and prosperous province was an overriding concern of all, irrespective of political party affiliation.
"Let us now embrace each other as brothers and sisters, as colleagues and citizens of KwaZulu-Natal, as we focus on the challenges faced by our province. Let bygones be bygones," he said.
He noted that the country had made great strides in the past ten years, achieving a lot in economic terms and was now part of the global community.
"We now have access to world's markets, which had been out of the bounds before the advent of democracy."
However he said much still needed to be done to eradicate poverty, deprivation and inequality, expressing hope that with the introduction of the Expanded Public Works Programme, both the national and provincial governments would counteract the ravaging effects of poverty.
"I trust that this programme will ensure skills development to sustain life after the completion of projects, creating self-employment", he said.
The King also called on the people to co-operate with the police in the fight against crime.
"I strongly condemn the killing of our innocent policemen and women who work hard to protect our communities. I call upon the people to co-operate with the people in exposing the perpetrators of crime," he said.
In his reply, Ndebele thanked the king for his informative address. - BuaNews
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