DA and IFP sign historic service delivery pact
The IFP and DA have also included 15 priorities that their joint caucuses will set to work on which will radically change the landscape of local government in KZN.
The DA and IFP in KZN have joined forces to improve service delivery in various municipalities across the province.
Both parties said they believe that their joint caucuses will radically change the landscape of local government in KZN, in the interests of transparency and to gain the trust of voters in municipalities where the IFP and the DA work together.
Both parties came together to sign a historic Service Delivery Pact at the Onomo Hotel in Durban on Tuesday last week. The agreement follows on from the parties successful cooperation in by-elections to win wards from the ANC.
IFP provincial chairperson, Cllr Thami Ntuli said as a joint force the parties will ensure that where each party holds seats in a hung municipality, they will work together to improve service delivery and better the lives of residents.
“We share a strong commitment to constitutionalism, the rule of law and service delivery improvement. We are also parties of government that govern in various local municipalities across the country and are only two of three parties that have governed a province, Ntuli added.
DA KZN leader Francois Rodgers said there can be no doubt that the ANC has wrecked local government across KZN and it is up to the IFP and DA to restore faith and trust in the political process.
“That is why we believe we are able to come together and put the interests of citizens first. The shared agreement is a major turning point in the politics for the province and will bring much needed stability to a number of municipalities where the IFP and DA work together.
“Some of the key objectives of the agreement include: ensuring that communities have access to basic service delivery; relieving residents and businesses from crippling loadshedding; bringing in investment and jobs to the local economy; supporting devolution of power within the constitutional and legislative framework; eliminating corruption and patronage networks and promoting multilingualism and enhancing our heritage landscape,” Rodgers added.
He said that this was a first for KZN and is a fresh approach from the shady ANC and EFF coalition agreement which is built purely on corruption and access to state resources.
Ntuli agreed, statuing that both parties are aware of the immense responsibility that voters have entrusted them with and they dare not fail.
“It is our collective view that we can achieve more together than separately, as well as being able to learn from one another. We are guided by the approach of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi who has sought to bring parties together from across the political, religious and racial divide for over 40 years and the current work that, John Steenhuisen has been doing to bring various opposition parties together, to unseat the ANC in the 2024 election.
“We thank them for their guidance and support during this time and will continue the work they have started. As we move forward, we do so knowing that time is of the essence and now is the time to deliver to the people of KZN. We dare not fail them,” Ntuli concluded.
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