Parliament, Wednesday, 18 September 2024 – The KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN’s) permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) who were joined by the Chairperson of the NCOP, Ms Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane kicked off the NCOP ‘s week-long Provincial Week programme in the province yesterday.
Members of the Provincial Executive Council briefed delegates, including the Premier of KZN, Mr Thami Ntuli, and the Office of the Auditor-General. From today until Friday, the delegation which is led by Mr Mzamo Billy will assess service delivery challenges to the timely delivery of viable public infrastructure to communities in the province.
The NCOP Provincial Week programme is a key mechanism for the NCOP to represent the country’s provinces in the national sphere. Premier Ntuli briefed the NCOP delegates yesterday on the state of provincial and municipal infrastructure. He outlined some legacy projects the provincial government will embark on in the seventh administration and provided specific timelines.
Mr Ntuli told the delegation an intervention is underway in Richards Bay to resolve the truck traffic in the area. This has become a challenge for the port customers and local users of the precinct, including interference with the N2, a major link to Durban from the North of KZN.
He said the intervention will involve constructing the alternative gate and providing new rail line core infrastructure by March 2025. These and related initiatives will lead to the Richards Bay Industrial Zone facilitating the creation of 800 jobs in the uMhlathuze area by March 2025.
Explaining the purpose of the Provincial Week programme, Mr Billy emphasised that KZN, like other provinces, is home to numerous government projects that have been delayed or abandoned due to various reasons—whether it's poor planning, corruption, lack of funding, or even interference by criminal elements.
He said: “But as the National Council of Provinces, it is our duty to ensure that these projects are not left as monuments of failure, but rather as opportunities for renewal, reconstruction, and hope.”
The KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs also briefed the delegation on slow, incomplete and abandoned projects in district municipalities such as Ugu, Umgungundlovu, Uthukela, and Ilembe District Municipality. KZN MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mr Siboniso Duma, told the delegates to the NCOP that among the reasons for projects to stall are legal bottlenecks, lack of infrastructure and procurement planning, lack of risk management plans in projects, and community conflicts resulting in work stoppages and increases in costs.
Today, the delegation will conduct oversight visits to incomplete, delayed, or abandoned infrastructure projects in Hammarsdale, Phoenix, Umlazi, and Umkomazi. The programme will conclude on Friday with a debriefing meeting with provincial leaders on issues arising from the Provincial Week programme.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE LEADER OF THE KZN NCOP DELEGATION, MR MZAMO BILLY.
For media interviews with the leader of the delegation please contact:
Mr. Mlindi Mpindi (Media Liaison Official)
081 716 7329
Email: mmpindi@parliament.gov.za
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