The initiative, heralding the start of an ongoing campaign to promote development in the capital city, is led by the provincial government in partnership with Msunduzi municipality and is geared towards pulling together the business, religious, sporting, traditional, media and academic communities to commit themselves to making Pietermaritzburg a model of private public partnership for growth and development in the country.
The "Friends of Our City" launch, sponsored by Wesbank, has seen more than 300 invited key role players in different forms of organisations from within the city descending to the Pietermaritzburg city hall in an act of demonstration of their support and will to get the city back on its feet.
This grand milestone launched under the theme: "Friends of our City for growth and development", the first of its kind in KwaZulu-Natal, was preceded by a series of consultative meetings with key role players led by MEC for Finance who is also the Political Champion of Umgungundlovu district, Ina Cronjé, urging each and everyone to be a "friend of our city" and contribute skills and expertise to help develop the capital city.
The Mayor of Msunduzi municipality, Mike Tarr has made a firm commitment to fighting fraud and corruption in the city.
"From now on, this city will be no place for corrupt people. They must go. We further want to ensure effective and efficient governance. Councillors will now sign performance agreements," he said.
MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nomusa Dube, said the launch also serves to inform the city community of the progress made in Msunduzi municipality in a bid to get everything back on track and restore confidence of the people.
"This is the city for our children. This is the city for our future and the place where we live. Let us rally behind the new leadership of Msunduzi Municipality who are working hard to turn around the situation for us all."
Addressing guests, Cronjé said they are working to ensure that KwaZulu-Natal is poverty free through a number of the provincial government's flagship projects.
"Among the flagship programmes, we have as government included food security and emerging farmer programme, creating healthy and sustainable communities programme, integrated programme for the youth and women. These are some of the projects that will go a long way to ensuring development and growth in the city and the province in general," she said.
She further urged every citizen of the city to make a mark which will create a good legacy for the future generation of the city.
Providing perspective on change of Msunduzi leadership, the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Zweli Mkhize said they, as the provincial government, felt that given the negative developments in the municipality, they had to intervene and bring an administrator and new leadership in Msunduzi municipality.
"I, as the leader of provincial government, I want to apologise to you all for all the wrongs that have taken place at Msunduzi. As the provincial government, we want to clean this city, to also clean the administration and the systems within the municipality.
"But most importantly, we want to see all city role players rallying behind the city management and the provincial government to help not only turn around things within the municipality, but to also ensure development and growth of this city," he said.
He said we need to hold hands and build what is broken and make Pietermaritzburg the city that can be enjoyed not just by us and our children, but also by the world.
He further re-iterated that those responsible for all the wrongs in the municipality must face the wrath of the law.
For more information and clarity, contact:
Musa Cebisa
Cell: 071 6878 777
Lennox Mabaso
Cell: 082 884 2403
Brian Zuma
Cell: 083 2896 723
Source: Provincial Treasury, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
