KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu has welcomed new members of the executive council during a swearing-in ceremony in Durban today. He accepted an apology from MEC-designated to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Themba Mthembu who could not make it owing to consultations within his party, the South African Communist Party.
“First and foremost I want to express my personal appreciation to the Deputy Judge President Mbuyiseni Madondo for presiding over this swearing-in with dignity. Today marks yet another milestone in the history of this province. Over the years the African National Congress, as the ruling party, has deployed the finest men and women to lead this democratic government.”
“We are confident that over the next few days, weeks, months and years, the new members of the executive council will work as a collective to realize the vision of the forbearers of our democracy. Rev ohn Langalibalele Dube, Inkosi Albert Luthuli, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela and many more other leaders too many to mention dreamed of a prosperous country.”
“It was Tata Nelson Mandela as a first democratically elected President of the Republic of South Africa who used government as an instrument to transform the lives of our people. As new executive council, guided by the vision of Tata Madiba, we will double our efforts to create a responsive government.”
“We fully understand that we are expected to strengthen service delivery in a rather challenging environment. Economic challenges are beginning to inflict a serious crunch in the economy of our country and caused the fiscus to shrink and budgets to be revised downwards.”
“In the face of these challenges, we will ensure that we cushion members of society against any negative impact of economic challenges. The broad principles that should govern our response to the economic challenges should include avoiding the risk of unfairly placing the burden of the downturn on the poor and vulnerable.”
“We will be taking a principled stand to manage expenditure very tightly and direct all resources to priority projects and ensure that service delivery is protected and prioritized. This is an approach that will reflect a sense of responsibility and commitment to dealing with triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality.”
“We will ensure that operate to the highest standards of good governance and social responsibility. There is an urgent need to refrain from wasteful expenditure and to adhere to prudent financial management practices.”
Enquiries:
Ndabezinhle Sibiya
Spokesperson for the Premier
Cell: 082 375 4742
