The Office of the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal notes with deep concern the recent wave of misleading and inflammatory social media commentary regarding the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government official trip to New York in 2024.

These false claims, circulated with apparent malicious intent, seek to distort the truth and distract from the Premier’s commitment to ethical leadership and transparency. It is not lost on us that these attacks surface precisely at the time when the Premier is preparing to address the people of KwaZulu-Natal on sensitive allegations.

Let the record reflect that the trip to New York was an official government engagement, fully sanctioned by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Council. The Premier, together with a senior delegation, participated in a high-level international conference on climate change — an urgent and pressing global matter that continues to directly affect the province through recurring natural disasters, including devastating floods and snow which actually attacked the province during the said trip.

Other South African provinces that participated in this conference include Gauteng and Western Cape province.

KwaZulu-Natal’s participation was both strategic and necessary. It reaffirmed the province’s commitment to global collaboration in confronting the climate crisis, and financing thereof while also advancing its own provincial resilience agenda.

As a direct outcome of this engagement, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government has since established a fully operational Climate Change Council, tasked with developing and overseeing an integrated provincial response to climate-related risks and environmental sustainability.

It must also be emphasised that the Premier publicly accounted for the New York trip before both the Executive Council and the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.

A detailed report on the objectives, engagements, outcomes, and financial implications of the trip was tabled.

If there are any residual concerns, the Premier remains confident in the capacity of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature — as the appropriate oversight body — to exercise its mandate and reach its own informed conclusions.

The Office of the Premier urges all sectors of society, including political leaders to avoid spreading misinformation that undermines democratic institutions and misleads the public.

The challenges facing our province require unity, maturity, and a shared commitment to facts, truth, and constructive engagement.

The Premier remains focused on the urgent task of rebuilding public trust, strengthening governance, and ensuring that KwaZulu-Natal continues to move forward — guided by transparency, accountability, and the will of the people.

END

Issued by:
Office of the Premier
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government