Premier delivers State of the Province address

The State of the Province address was delivered earlier today by the Premier Comrade Senzo Mchunu. According to a media statement issued by ANC Provincial Secretary, Sihle Zikalala, the address presented a clear picture of a province that has undergone an amazing metamorphosis from being a byword for underdevelopment to a thriving place for best practice and prosperity.

The statement further mentioned that under the ANC, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has excelled in the provision of all essential services to the people from the deep rural parts of the province to leafy suburbs of towns and cities.

The media release read, “We are pleased that the past 20 years of freedom have seen the people of KwaZulu-Natal achieving a universal access to education, thanks to the South African Schools Act which ensures that the doors of learning are indeed open to all as stipulated in our Freedom Charter.The mud schools and learning under the trees which had become an accepted norm and had adverse impact on the quality of education in KwaZulu-Natal, have been addressed through the building of state of the art schools in all parts of the province.

“It is worth noting that in 1994, only 53 per cent households had access to electricity and today the figure has astronomically jumped to a whopping 80.2 per cent. People who had access to sanitation were just 40 per cent and today the figure has grown to 82.4 per cent, a clear indication that KwaZulu-Natal has moved forward and lives have changed for the better.

“Major improvements have been made in the provision of water with 85.1 per cent having access to clean water compared to a meager 47 per cent in 1994. While we celebrate these colossal achievements, we are acutely aware that there are still areas that are desperately waiting for us to provide them with water and we promise not to fail them.

“It is also pleasing that more than half a million houses have been built for our people in the past 20 years and nearly 100 000 service sites have been developed in KwaZulu-Natal, ensuring sustainable settlements for millions of people.

“The strides made in the health sector are impressive. Our government has not only excelled in building the state of the art infrastructure such as hospitals and clinics but has also done extremely well in the fight against HIV and Aids, reducing the mother to child transmission and HIV prevalence. The achievements scored in the past years would not have been possible were it not for sound political leadership and good governance. We welcome the strides that have been made in combating fraud and corruption and we encourage the public to continue supporting our government in this regard by reporting corruption and maladministration to relevant structures.”

In summary the following issues were addressed:

· People living slums: The ANC views the living conditions in slums as unbearable and in this regard the welcome the provincial government’s decision to ensure that slums are eradicated through a clear slums clearance plan which will see people being given decent houses.

· Communities using the bucket system: The ANC recently took a decision that the inhumane bucket system must be eradicated in this province before the end of the year. They therefore welcome the decision to eradicate the bucket system before the end of this month in eThekwini and Harry Gwala District Municipality. They have no doubt that other district municipalities will also do so before the 30 September deadline that has been given to them.

· Creation of jobs: They welcome the province’s commitment to creating 2.1 million jobs by 2030 through the Provincial Growth and Development Plan.

· Communities living on farms: They welcome the province’s initiative to establish Agri-villages which will see people living on farms having access to education, healthcare facilities and decent housing.

· Infrastructure programmes: The proposed infrastructure programmes were welcomed which will see billions of rands being pumped into the economy thus creating jobs and developing the economy of the province.