Nqutu
22 August 2007
The KwaZulu-Natal Cabinet has welcomed the sentencing, to life imprisonment,
of the four people found guilty of the murder of African National Congress
(ANC) Councillor Zakhele Cele and his three body guards on 4 March 2006 in
Shobashobane.
At its weekly meeting held today (22 August 2007) at Nqutu in northern
KwaZulu-Natal, Cabinet also expressed support for the comments made by Judge
Piet Koen, who after sentencing the four to four life terms each, said the
sentencing should serve as a warning to others that political differences
should not be resolved through murder. Judge Koen said that all members of
society should exercise political tolerance in matters of politics and
municipal governance: "You must respect political choice as a democratic
expression of the people. The result might not please everyone, but that does
not give anyone a right to remove any of the elected officials," Koen said.
Cabinet also deplored, what it described as, a vicious and unethical attack
on Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang by e-TV when she visited Mahatma
Gandhi Hospital in Durban last week. The Minister, who was accompanied by
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Peggy Nkonyeni, visited the hospital following reports
of an outbreak of Klebsiella at the hospital last year in which more than ten
children died.
"Instead of finding out about what measures the Health Department had taken
to prevent further loss of life at the hospital, e-TV asked the Minister if her
visit was a face-saving exercise on her part. This is deplorable journalism,"
Cabinet felt.
At the sitting which precedes tomorrow's (Thursday, 23 August 2007)
Premier's Imbizo in Nqutu, Cabinet agreed that further dialogue had to be held
with the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) to address issues of
common concern between the editor's body and provincial government. The two had
recently agreed to form a joint forum to handle government-media relations
which were believed to have deteriorated.
Cabinet also received a report on the functioning of the recently formed
KwaZulu-Natal Growth Fund. The Fund was established in 2005 to help finance
Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) projects that range between R30 million and
R150 million in areas such as telecommunications, bio-fuels, aquaculture,
minerals beneficiation, power cable manufacturing and Information Communication
Technology (ICT). Currently eight projects were being funded to the tune of
R270 million. The Growth Fund - a joint effort between the provincial
government and the private sector - is presently capitalised at R1,5 billion.
Premier Sibusiso Ndebele, however, felt the fund had to be given prominence and
popularised so that small business entrepreneurs could be proud of it.
Cabinet also approved the extension of the Provincial Audit Report sign-off
date from the end of August to the end of September 2007.
After the Cabinet meeting the Premier and the various MECs held different
stakeholder meetings in the Umzinyathi District with various stakeholders
relevant to their respective portfolios. Premier Ndebele together with
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Local Government, Housing and Traditional Affairs, Mike
Mabuyakhulu, met with approximately 200 people in Nqutu including
representatives from Heritage Forums, Amakhosi, Religious Leaders and Community
Development Workers.
Tomorrow (Thursday,23 August) commencing at 09h00 at Kwa Grace in Nqutu, the
Premier will address thousands of residents of the Umzinyathi District, and
will be joined by Members of his Executive Council, the District Mayor of
Umzinyathi as well as the Mayors of local municipalities in the Umzinyathi
District. This two-day visit (22 and 23 August 2007) to the Umzinyathi District
forms part of the Premier's Imbizo programme. The Imbizo is intended to draw
people from all parts of the Umzinyathi District into an intimate dialogue with
elected representatives on meaningful partnerships with all sectors of the
community and ways of improving the quality of life.
The Premier will assess, jointly with local communities, progress on
commitments made by elected leaders to the people, plans to develop and sustain
local economies and the strengthening of public participation in the Umzinyathi
District.
Media are invited to attend the Imbizo in Nqutu on 22 August. Please note
picture opportunities.
Issued by: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
22 August 2007
