Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) President Velenkosini Hlabisa is calling on the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC) to conclude outstanding issues regarding negotiations for the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Hlabisa was addressing the media in light of uncertainty around the GNU.
He says the country cannot be put in a stalemate while parties are unable to finalize agreements.
“Like all South Africans, the IFP is growing concerned, our concern is for a country that is eager to move forward. The work of governance must begin, we cannot remain on a holiday. It is essential as the Constitution allows him [President] be able to reach the stage of announcing the new cabinet. The IFP is calling on the ANC and DA and any other party in the outstanding issues, to sort it between them without further delay.”
Hlabisa says President Ramaphosa must use the prerogative granted to him by the Constitution.
“The IFP is of the view that whoever is involved should finalise the issues and the President accordingly use the prerogative that is given to him by our Constitution. We know he’s not going to be willing to appoint anyone, anyhow but he is gauging and the engagement should not go on endlessly, should reach a point where we get the country going forward.”
New KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Premier Thami Ntuli has called on his newly appointed cabinet to set aside their political differences and to put people of the province first.
The government of provincial unity comprising of the ANC, the IFP, the DA and the NFP, elected him as Premier last week.
Ntuli has called on the members of the executive to serve with dignity.
“I appreciate that we come from different political homes and we campaigned with different manifestos, however, now is the time to put the people of KZN first. All of us are expected to serve with honesty, dignity and diligence. We must never betray the people of the province that voted for us, there will be a process that ensures that we monitor and evaluate the performance of every member of the executive. We will respect all ideas and contributions that seek to promote and uplift our province.”
IFP’s Thami Ntuli sworn in as KwaZulu-Natal Premier:
For the first time since 2004, the IFP is back at the helm of KwaZulu-Natal, but this time, not on its own but through a government of provincial unity.
This comes after the African National Congress (ANC), the IFP, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the National Freedom Party (NFP) agreed to work together to govern the province.
In the May 29th general elections, the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party won in KZN but without an outright majority.
IFP Spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa says service delivery is among Ntuli’s key priorities.
Hlengwa says, “We fundamentally believe that his experience, knowledge and expertise speak for themselves, as somebody who is going to be able to take forward the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
“The coalition government will obviously have to merge manifestos and ideas of various parties who form part of this government to ensure that there is a clear developmental direction for the province, but similarly the basics have to be done. We need to get municipalities right, we need to ensure that the provision of water is there, fix the economy for the better, the vitalisation of the economic hub. eThekwini needs to take a centre stage,” he adds.
The decision by the Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal to close over 1 000 schools on election day next week has been met with mixed reactions.
The Department is expected to hand over schools across the province to the Electoral Commission (IEC) from May 27 during special voting until May 31 beyond election day.
Natu says this decision will negatively impact teaching and learning as some exams that were to be written in the upcoming week will now have to be rescheduled.
The Union’s secretary general Doctor Ngema also expressed disappointment claiming they had not been consulted as a union.
“We are actually disappointed by the determination of the head of the department in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, which happened without any consultations with the stakeholders, including the school governing bodies. Moreover, we are also concerned that the department expects the principals of schools to develop catchup programs when in actual fact this is not their own doing,” he says.
He adds: “It’s like they (teachers) are punished now to say they must develop the catch-up plan.”
Over the years, schools have been closed only on voting day.
But Sadtu KZN secretary Nomarashiya Caluza says the decision by the department was a vital component of democracy.
“It’s the national department that took this decision, especially because the elections are a national responsibility. The schools that belong to government have always been used as voting stations, so it would not be correct to have elections and also allow teaching and learning to take place. That would in a way also cause some disruptions, so there is nothing wrong with the decision. We welcome it because it comes from the government,” she says.
She maintains the department will however, have to come up with a recovery plan.
African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader Kenneth Meshoe is calling for corruption in the tender system to be rooted out to ensure service delivery to the people.
Meshoe was campaigning at Empangeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.
Meshoe says once his party is voted into power, they will decentralise the provision of services and give power to municipalities.
“The tender system is benefiting very few people. And the tender system has caused corruption to go to another level. Besides the fact that those who win tenders exaggerate the numbers. So the ACDP is saying because tenders have made us what me out today. We lost good infrastructure. We lost the good things that were happening in the past. We want services to be closer to the people when they grow up municipalities fixed the robots, fixed the plumbing, fixed everything in the municipality.”