WELCOME REMARKS BY KZN PREMIER SIHLE ZIKALALA DURING THE KHAWULEZA FORUM MEETING, INKOSI ALBERT ICC, 18 OCTOBER 2019

His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa and your esteemed delegation;
All leaders who are here representing various sectors;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;

In the spirit of Khawuleza, I respectfully ask to say: ALL PROTOCOL OBSERVED!
Good morning and thank you all for honouring this important appointment with our President and the government that he leads.
The Khawuleza District Forums that are being launched by President Ramaphosa mark a new era of great promise in the history of local government in South Africa.
With us today President, we have a well- represented, cross section of stakeholders in our province and the eThekwini metro. Our social partners are ready and eager to get their marching orders from you so that they can lend a hand and meaningfully contribute to making local government work better to realise its developmental mandate.
Today marks a milestone in our journey to implement what nearly 3000 delegates said when they adopted the Freedom the Charter in 1955. They declared that, “The People Shall Govern” and proclaimed that, “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people.”
The idea of a government that derives its legitimacy on the will and consent of all citizens is the mainstay of Our Constitution, the White Paper on Local Government, as well as the National Development Plan.
These key documents perceive citizens as assets and active agents in shaping their own future. They assert the importance of leadership, and the NDP is emphatic that, “Our gift of leaders extends far beyond politics. We have them in abundance in every avenue of life”
The NDP also envisions a South Africa where, “Government begins in the home, grows into the community, expands towards the city, flares toward the province, and engulfs the entire land.”
When our democratic government issued the White Paper on Local Government in 1998, it viewed local government as standing at a threshold to make a ground-breaking impact on the reconstruction and development of South Africa.
Notwithstanding the many successes that we have had in achieving a single local government sphere whose vision is to deepen democracy, achieve equality, and create a united, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society; we also know that local government has been the site that has been bedevilled by a plethora of challenges.
When President Ramaphosa announced the new approach of a district based model of development and service delivery, he wanted to return this sphere of government to the great promise that it had at the dawn of democracy.
The strength of this approach is not only the ideal of improved coordination, but also its objective to institutionalise best practice model through the establishment of institutional mechanisms like this forum to ensure that mutually agreed plans are speedily implemented, monitored, and evaluated.
As the President said in August, the Khawuleza Forums will serve as “the building-blocks and coordination mechanisms” for the new framework and approach.
He also pointed out that the 44 district plans and those of the 8 metros in South Africa must focus on:

managing urbanisation, growth and development,

supporting local economic drivers,

accelerating land release and land development,

investing in infrastructure for integrated human settlements, economic activity and the provision of basic services,

addressing service delivery problems in municipalities.

We applaud Cabinet’s decision to prioritise the new model here in the eThekwini Metro alongside with the OR Tambo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape and Waterberg District Municipality in Limpopo.
Working together, we must make sure that today marks a new chapter of sustainable development and growth for the people of eThekwini and KZN.
It must mean achieving excellent results in building safer communities, provision of water and decent sanitation, and inclusive economic opportunities.
It is all of us gathered together here who must rise to action and say Inanda cannot be known as the rape capital of South Africa or our beloved South Africa the rape capital of the world.
As the people of eThekwini, we know that the entire country is looking with keen interest at us to see tangible change and a developmental local government that succeeds in fulfilling the promise of a better life for all.
I am sure that I am speaking on behalf of the people of eThekwini and KwaZulu-Natal when I say, Mr President, we are ready for the challenge that you have set for us. And with all the support that we are receiving from national government, our traditional leaders, the private sector, labour, and civil society, there is no reason to fail.
Once again, we thank national government for descending on our shores and for prioritising eThekwini.
Namukelekile kwaZulu-Natal. Rea u amohela. Welcome.
And Let Us Grow South Africa Together!

Bongani Shisa Tembe

Director: Media Liaison

KZN Office of the Premier

0823272600 (Cell)