KZN premier rapped on focus

UNDUNANKULU waKwaZulu-Natal, uMnuz Senzo Mchunu ehalalisela uNgqongqoshe omusha wezemfundo uNkk Peggy Nkonyeni obenguSomlomo wesiShayamthetho

UNDUNANKULU waKwaZulu-Natal, uMnuz Senzo Mchunu ehalalisela uNgqongqoshe omusha wezemfundo uNkk Peggy Nkonyeni obenguSomlomo wesiShayamthetho

Published Aug 13, 2014

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Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Premier Senzo Mchunu has been accused of focusing on ANC issues instead of attending meetings at the legislature and delivering services.

DA leader in KwaZulu-Natal, Sizwe Mchunu, told the legislature in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday that the premier’s absence had deprived members of the opportunity to engage him on critical issues.

The premier was outlining how he had allocated his office’s budget of R697 million to various programmes in his office.

Sizwe Mchunu, a member of the portfolio committee in the office of the premier, said the premier had not been available when members wanted to engage him about burdening his office with programmes that should be handled by government departments.

These included the Youth Ambassador Programme and Operation Sukuma Sakhe, which provided employment to communities.

Senzo Mchunu said he could only recall one incident where he had not attended portfolio committee meetings.

The DA leader said that the integrity unit, meant to fight corruption in the province, should be removed from the premier’s office and be independent. He said the Youth Ambassador Programme should also not have been placed under the premier’s office.

IFP MP Blessed Gwala called on the premier to focus on monitoring his department’s performance.

The premier announced that the Youth Ambassador had been disbanded and been replaced by the Youth Chief Directorate. It would share a budget of R120.2m with other programmes. A chunk would be used to train about 7 000 government employees on the Promotion of Access to Information Act.

Outlining the Royal Household Department budget of R54.2m, the premier said R42.3m would be used for King Goodwill Zwelithini’s support service, R9m for planning and development and R2.9m for farms.

The Mercury

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