Premier Senzo Mchunu: KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier Prov Budget Vote 2016/17

Budget vote of the Office of the Premier delivered by the Honourable Premier Mr Edward Senzo Mchunu, Premier of the province of KwaZulu-Natal

Chairperson
Speaker
Deputy Speaker
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Mayors and Councillors of Local Government
Amakhosi Present
Acting Director-General and Heads of Departments
Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps        
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

• Can the Provincial Government bring just one robot to Mtubatuba? Even if they bring it with just one colour. The community will add the rest of the colours on their own? This was a lament or maybe a proposal by an Ukhozi traffic announcer on the nature of uncontrollable traffic in one part of this town.
• Every year in all three spheres of government in the Republic, we produce quantified plans, the budgets reflecting needs, wishes and interest of the public. This financial year, Provincial Government has a budget of R 109, 006 billion as announced by MEC Belinda Scott during Budget Day in March. The Office of the Premier has been allocated R 658 644 million as Vote 1 which we are pleased to present to the house today.
• We are mindful that April comes with our Freedom Day in South Africa. It is a month that invokes many memories of the past merging fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled aspirations of all the people of this province - young and old, urban and rural, black and white.
• Our focus is on providing overall Leadership to Government, co-ordination , rendering support to the Royal Household and to take necessary initiatives when these are required.
• We make efforts to be accountable, transparent, humble and respectful. We put more efforts on ensuring integrity, effectiveness and efficiencies in government systems. We also make great efforts in ensuring delivery of a quality services to all our people across the Province and improve socio-economic conditions of the poor and vulnerable members of society in particular. We continue to be inspired by Former President Nelson Mandela’s undertaking that as a Nation we shall never experience racial oppression again. We commit to Social Justice, fundamental rights and respecting the Constitution of the Republic. The overall objective is to maximise delivery on the needs of the people.

2. Achievement in the past Financial Year

2.1 Deepening Democracy

• We have sustained and improved Sukuma Sakhe as part of encouraging inclusive governance. We continue to co-ordinate and support this programme, visiting Municipalities and wards on a regular basis.

• We commissioned an investigation into threats to Social Cohesion. We accepted that there were understandable issues especially around economic inequalities which require efforts from all concerned to resolve. However this can’t justify any racism stunts in anyway. We are now implementing recommendations of the team.

• We fully support all preparations towards Local Government elections as we have done with other elections in the past. We require more political tolerance. We need to reject any form of conflict and violence related to the elections or unrelated

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