In his first provincial Cabinet Lekgotla since taking over as the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal in June, Thami Ntuli vowed to accelerate service delivery and revive the economy of the province.
The first two-day KZN provincial Cabinet Lekgotla of the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) met from Tuesday at the Archie Gumede Conference Centre in Mayville.
The Lekgotla was attended by members of the Executive Council, senior government leaders, councillors, CEOs of public entities and other relevant departments.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the meeting, Ntuli said they would discuss infrastructure projects, health-care improvements, education, and social services.
Ntuli said the GPU has adopted President Cyril Ramaphosa’s three strategic priorities which are to drive inclusive economic growth and job creation; to reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living and to build a capable ethical diplomatic estate.
He said the GPU is committed to creating job opportunities for young people.
“As the GPU we have core priorities, which we agree on and we believe are important in moving our province forward, like the issue of inclusive economic growth, the issue of fighting poverty and to ensure that we have a government that works for the people of KZN.
“It is the responsibility of the GPU to make sure that our province is free of despair and economic doldrums.
We are encouraged that there will be a renewed focus on building and strengthening the local economy of our small towns. We have also met with young people and discussed the burning issues such as youth unemployment,” Ntuli said.
Ntuli said that economic conferences like the recent Resurgence Conference are vital in strengthening foreign investment.
Last week during his address at the opening of Parliament, Ramaphosa highlighted the challenges in eThekwini and stressed the importance of returning the City to its former stature.
The president said they have put in place the eThekwini Presidential Working Group to enhance support from national and provincial government.
“I met residents of the City, with local business leaders and municipal officials. They told me that they wanted to work together to build a City that they could be proud of again.
“We have since put in place the eThekwini Presidential Working Group to enhance support from national and provincial governments to turn the Metro administration around, to fix the problems in water and sanitation and attract new investment,” Ramaphosa said.
The premier is expected to hold a press briefing on Wednesday with other GPU members.
The Mercury