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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) welcomes the R802million budget allocated to the Office of the Premier (OTP) and the Royal Household amid severe provincial government budget cuts.

Despite the difficult fiscal situation that KZN now finds itself in as a result of poor financial decisions, there are some instances of hope within the OTP budget.

This includes the reintroduction of R50million to the Youth Empowerment fund, monies that were rolled over last year despite the obvious need for assistance. This funding must now be properly utilized, particularly with so many individuals and businesses having been hit hard by the effects of Covid-19. Added to this is the improved audit performance by this Department, which the DA welcomes and hopes to see again in the future.

While these are positives, the elephant in the room remains - the remuneration of Izinduna. The DA is not opposed to payment of Izinduna. We are, however concerned that KZN’s provincial government is forced to continue with this unfunded mandate It is only the Premier who can intervene and help CoGTA and we now urge him to work closely with CoGTA and National Treasury in an attempt to try and resolve this matter once and for all.

The DA welcomes the budget of R66million allocated to his Majesty and the transfer of R23.7 million to the Zulu Royal Household Trust. In this regard, the DA reminds the Premier that the late King Zwelithini KaBhekuzulu challenged members of the provincial government to visit his palaces. This amid claims that money was being stolen by some individuals, who were using his name and that of the Royal Family.

The Premier must honour this request, particularly when see expenditure such as R1million for replacing carpets and R1.4million for the installation of floor tiles – all in the same house. This is according to the report tabled before the OTP portfolio committee last week, where it also emerged that one borehole cost R300 000.

While the DA respects and upholds the Zulu monarchy, we cannot forget or ignore the role we have been elected to play in ensuring accountability and proper oversight over government officials responsible for managing the day-to-day running of KZN Royal Household.

This is relevant when looking at recent reports which show that KZN’s government currently spends an average of R117 444 each month on hiring cars for the Queens – a figure that equates to more than R1 million a year. In addition, the Trust continues to hire cars in the event of any damage. This despite the provincial government already having bought a total of 16 cars, along with a further 11 which are used by Trust officials.

The questions that the DA wants answers to are - why is there no insurance in place and why do Trust officials resort to hiring cars rather than having them fixed? The DA welcomes the transfer of R5 million to purchase new cars for the Queens. However, the Trust must find ways of disposing or selling of old cars and those in poor condition.

Then there are our unanswered questions over the R571 872 electricity bill for KwaLinduzulu palace. How did this happen and how much is this government spending on electricity throughout all of the palaces? The DA believes that officials within the Royal Trust are failing the monarchy and that there is an urgent need for this division to become self-sustainable.

Yet another concern when it comes to the Office of the Premier budget is the function shift, from Vote 6: Provincial Treasury to Vote 1 Office of the Premier, which relates to forensic services and investigations. It is still not clear why this matter has been moved to the Premier’s Office when Provincial Treasury has proved itself over the years to be fully capable in this regard. Treasury has also been the best place for this issue which is normally tainted by politics. This is a matter which the Premier needs to clarify.

The DA remains committed to ensuring accountability on behalf of KZN’s people when it comes to the expenditure of public money. The OTP needs to take the lead when it comes to this and must commit to creating good governance within our province.

Issued by The DA