Durban – KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu has urged MECs and mayors to redouble their efforts in fighting the violence that is tainting the reputation of the province.
Addressing the media on the outcome of the cabinet lekgotla held in Durban, Mchunu on Wednesday praised the provincial government for being voted the “number one in the country” by the Mail and Guardian newspaper, which last year ran a competition on the performance of companies and government.
The province’s reputation has been also recognised internationally as Mchunu announced that its Operation Sukuma Sakhe had been adopted by several countries overseas.
The programme is aimed at dealing with poverty, unemployment, crime, substance abuse, HIV/Aids and TB.
Mchunu’s spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya said Operation Sukuma Sakhe had been adopted in Asia and by the World Health Organisation to fight Aids.
“In China they are adopting it, and UN Aids executive director Michel Sidibé is the one who has been praising it and recommended that it be replicated in other parts of the world."
“Also former (UN secretary-general) Ban Ki-moon recognised Operation Sukuma Sakhe when he was addressing the International Aids Conference in Durban on July 18 last year,” said Sibiya.
However, Mchunu expressed concern that the province’s reputation was not without its challenges because violence in hostels, political and taxi violence and faction fighting continued to cast a shadow over the government’s efforts.
“The unrest, the instability that is taking place in our province seems to be unending. That is the area that I believe as we go out of here (the cabinet lekgotla) we should address very much to our satisfaction,” said Mchunu.
Mchunu said the mayors and MEC should find solutions to the instability. He said the province was number one when it came to political violence.
“No province in this country except ourselves has faction fights in our traditional communities, and no province in South Africa has the extent of taxi violence like we have in our province,” he said.
While some provinces had community-based instability, “we were the first one”.
“We have seen political instability at KwaMashu Hostel, we have seen political instability at Glebelands Hostel, we have seen political instability in Inchanga, we have seen political instability in Lower Mfolozi, at KwaMbonambi next to RBM, we have seen instability in Mandeni that has actually disrupted our economic life through the burning of factories,” he said.
Making things worse were groups such as the Durban-based Delangokubona Business Forum, which were wreaking havoc in the province, demanding to be awarded tenders without following the proper processes.
“How do we find solutions to all of this? It is a matter that we should address."
“The instability would never cause the function of government to perform to its maximum and to its optimum level,” said Mchunu.
He said the province should consider reviving former president Nelson Mandela’s call for the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) of the soul.
“Maybe we need to revisit it as the provincial government. To what extent have we been able to drive the programme successfully?"
“Instability is the number one problem in the erosion of social cohesion in our society,” he said.