14th February 2009 
 

2009 IFP KWAZULU NATAL MANIFESTO 

MESSAGE FROM THE IFP PRESIDENT 

Dear voter 

I am tremendously excited to be endorsing my colleague Mrs Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi as Premier-candidate of KwaZulu Natal.  

I have been in government for a great many years, and I have never been as excited as I am in the quality of a candidate for high office as I am in the National Chairperson of the IFP.  

What KwaZulu Natal needs right now is not a premier who will give us declining service delivery, increasing corruption, higher levels of ineptitude, more gross overspending and permanent self-promotion.

Because that is precisely what we have right now. A vote for the ANC is a vote for more nepotism, more misspending, more cronyism, more jobs for pals and more billboards paid for by voters proclaiming how wonderful the ANC government is. 

Never has this province been in such trouble. What this province needs is someone who can address the failures of the present government and turn things around. The answer does not lie in more talkshops, more policy workshops and more consultants. The answer lies in leadership.

Right now the province lacks leadership. The IFP has the solution - real leadership in the person of Mrs Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi. 

Why am I so confident that she is the right person for the job? Because I have observed her in action for many years and I know she has the personal qualities to lead KZN. As the Mayor of Zululand she has ably demonstrated her capacity to deliver, to run a clean administration and to lead. 

o       She is caring.
o       She is humble.
o       She is decisive.
o       She is hard working.
o       She is diligent.
o       She is action-oriented.
o       She can drive change.
o       She can make things work. 

And most of all, she is focussed on you, the voter:- your concerns, your challenges, your hopes, your fears and your needs.  

Our Premier-candidate will never forget our homeless people; our people without work; our elderly who are so vulnerable; our children whose innocence is under such threat; our youth whose energy needs to be harnessed. She embodies the values of Ubuntu/Botho which others merely give lip service to. 

So there really is no one better suited to become the next Premier of KwaZulu Natal. I believe in her. I urge you to give her your full support.

Of course, a Premier is one of 11 people in an executive, and I am confident that the Premier will be ably assisted by a team equally up to the challenge of turning the province around. The slogan we have adopted to describe ourselves - 'The Tried and Tested Alternative' - reflects the simple fact that the IFP has been in government for a very long time, and has many capable leaders well grounded in doing what needs to be done. 

Support me and vote for Mrs kaMagwaza-Msibi and the IFP. We will make the difference. 

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi

President, IFP 

MESSAGE FROM THE IFP KWAZULU NATAL PREMIER CANDIDATE 

Dear friend 

I want to make a pledge to you and I want this pledge to be made public so that you can understand who I am and my motivation for standing for high office. 

Political parties seek political power and politicians seek office - it is the nature of politics, after all. But this was not my real motivation when I accepted nomination by my party to become premier of KwaZulu Natal should the IFP win the election.  

For me, politics is a vehicle by which one can contribute towards the wellbeing of society. I am driven by a need to serve. It is why I became an educator and thereafter a municipal councillor and mayor.   

All my life I have been acutely aware of the nature of the society in which I have lived. Of the glaring disparities dividing communities; of deep and enduring poverty, especially in rural areas; of children whose potential for advancement was not served by the schools they attended; of abuse of women and children; of disease not treated.  

But I am an optimist. I see the good in people. The potential. What can be done if there is the will. I fervently believe that KwaZulu Natal has the potential to be the showcase of South Africa. We should never accept mediocrity for if we do, it is but a few steps before we become just another poverty-stricken province whose governance is in a real mess. 

I recognise that there has been some achievement in KwaZulu Natal over the past 5 years. It would be churlish of me not to acknowledge this.

I'm not attacking anyone or complaining, but if we are honest with each other, we should accept that the province has gone backwards in far too many areas. This manifesto identifies the key areas of governance in KZN and proposes solutions to the challenges posed. These are real solutions to real problems.  

I am committed to driving government to address all the issues identified in this manifesto so that your life is made better. I will consult widely and engage with stakeholders, interest groups and communities so that we do things together. Civil society must feel part and parcel of the new government, partners in facing the many challenges before us. 

o       We are not prepared to accept that schools should be war zones.  That educators and learners lack discipline. That schools have no laboratories and no sports fields. That textbooks are delivered months late. And that education fails to prepare our children for the real world - our economy. 

o       We are not prepared to accept that there can be hospitals without doctors. That patients can wait for days for treatment, or have their operations indefinitely postponed. That medicines are lacking.  That people with treatable diseases, and especially HIV and Aids, are inadequately looked after. 

o       We are not prepared to accept that it is normal for crime to ravage our communities. Rich or poor - you have a horrifyingly high chance of falling victim to violent crime. Can our communities not do more, working with government, to stop this?  

o       We are not prepared to accept that government should be guilty of gross mismanagement, corruption, nepotism and the like. That government funds are blatantly used for party purposes. If government is not clean, then what hope do we have? I believe government must set the example. 

I want to lead this province for just one reason - to change your life for the better - and I will work tirelessly, day in and day out to achieve this.  

I humbly request that you give me the opportunity to serve you as your Premier. 

Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi 

OUR APPROACH TO GOVERNANCE 

An IFP government will establish mechanisms to make government more transparent, more accountable and more inclusive than it is at present.

At present there is too much secrecy, withheld information, protection of failure, appointment of incompetents, and a general malaise negating the proper professionalism of our public service.  

Specific priorities are the following: 

*      Make sure that the legislature functions as envisaged by the Constitution and that it rigorously fulfils its duty to act as a watchdog of both the cabinet and the administration.

*      Introduce transparent staff recruitment practices to minimise cronyism and incompetence in the administration.

*      Prioritise engagement with civil society. This entails both appropriate consultation with relevant stakeholders in the normal course of doing business, but also the outsourcing of certain functions to NGOs and CBOs via the vigorous implementation of a Grant-in-Aid system which empowers civil society to function as partners of government.

*      Promote development partnerships by using government to support self-help and self-reliance projects on a matching funds basis.

*      Establish multi-stakeholder advisory bodies to assist government in dealing more effectively with the challenges facing the various departments. For instance, we see the need for a Ministerial Advisory Council to assist the Minister of Education and a Planning and Coordinating Council to assist the Premier.

*      Re-establish the Provincial Tender Board to improve supply chain management and to guarantee value for money in government procurement.  Current departmental tendering has led to widespread abuse, in which almost every department is culpable.

*      In respect of both the legislature and the Cabinet, create the means by which ordinary citizens can make their voices heard and have their concerns listened to and genuinely respected. The fiasco of Matatiele should never happen again.

*      All Ministers and senior public servants to have their declarations of interest subject to an annual audit.

*      No Ministers or senior public servants to access services or benefit from government-owned institutions without this first being placed before the legislature and being subject to appropriate probity checks.

*      Engage with Treasury to ensure funding of the province is truly equitable and that KZN is not under-funded. 

*      In all that is done, government must strive for excellence in service delivery. We will insist on constant improvement in all departments and hold people accountable for their performance contracts. 

To borrow a phrase from another country and another time: we want a government of the people, by the people and for the people. The provincial government will not be a branch of the IFP unlike the status quo, but will be genuinely committed to serving every person in this province irrespective of race, wealth, political affiliation, place of residence or anything else. 

EDUCATION 

The Challenge 

Education is currently in a state of crisis. Basic literacy, numeracy and writing skills have been neglected in pursuit of the nebulous objectives of Outcomes-Based Education. The province lacks a properly qualified, motivated  teacher corps. The shortage of teachers in mathematics, science and the technical subjects has not been addressed.

Resources are uneven and erratically distributed and historical legacies have not been addressed. Certain schools have become dens of drug abuse, violence, teenage pregnancy, immorality and general criminality and violence. In many schools governing bodies play no meaningful role and their members have never been trained to play any role. The unchecked HIV/Aids pandemic is wreaking havoc in the education system. And teachers are having to cope with huge levels of stress in trying to function in a system which demands so much of them without giving them the required support. 

A measure of the decline in the quality of education in KZN since the IFP has been out of office has been the drop in the matriculation pass rate from 77.2% in the last year of the IFP's term to 57.8% in 2009. 

The challenge is therefore the building of a school system that preserves and enhances the pockets of excellence that exist, at the same time lifting the historically disadvantaged schools to the same standards through a measurable programme of upliftment. 

The IFP response 

*        Far more focus on skilling learners to enter what is now a knowledge-based job market. 

*        More creativity in creating alternate education pathing for those pursuing technical and vocational training through FETs and other institutions. Couple with appropriate career guidance.

*        Prioritising of quality education to free people from the poverty trap. Include School Feeding Scheme for targeted schools with demonstrable need.

*        Free education up to and including grade 12.

*        Empowerment of school governing bodies and full consultation with them.

*        Development of a professional, ethically motivated and disciplined teacher corps.

*        As a temporary measure, re-employment of teachers who have taken early retirement.

*        Creative sourcing of maths and science teachers.

*        Re-opening the teacher training colleges.

*        Re-evaluation of Outcomes Based Education - its overhaul and complete scrapping if necessary.

*        Embarking on a school and classroom-building programme.  Entering partnerships with the private sector/NGOs/the diplomatic community. All schools to have laboratories, sports fields, electricity and water. 

*        Creation of incentives for teachers to locate to the rural districts.

*        Elimination of corruption and inefficiency from the Department of Education, particularly in the area of procurement. 

HEALTH 

The challenge 

Health is in a state of crisis, much due to the fact that government is unable to implement its own policies.  

The current system falls sadly short of expectations and hospitals and clinics have deteriorated badly in recent years. This is reflected in a declining life expectancy for the average person and a shocking increase in the prevalence rate of HIV and Aids from 3% in 1994 to as high as 17%. 

National government's previous ambivalent attitude to combating HIV and Aids, its dalliance with anti-scientific quackery and Aids denialism hampered the effective rolling out of ARV and other treatment at provincial level and we still live with the consequences of that denialism.  

Other challenges facing the health system include the often appalling state of health institutions with their shortages of equipment and medicines and the critical shortage and poor treatment of health care workers in public hospitals. Although better remuneration is critical it will not suffice to retain health care professionals in public service unless government improves conditions of service. 

The challenge is thus to set up a system of public health that meets the normal needs of all sectors of society. 

The IFP response 

*        Ensure access for every person to primary health care, with minimum waiting time.

*        Provide a health service with reasonable physical facilities, adequate staff levels, appropriate equipment and ancillary services.

*        Close the gap between the quality of service offered in the public sector and that in the private sector.

*        Review the operations of clinics and hospitals and establish a programme to bring them to acceptable standards.

*        The health priorities of primary care, chronic care and care for the young and the elderly should be addressed at local level. There should also be maximum engagement at the primary level with NGOs and CBOs.

*        Work in partnership with tertiary health colleges to strengthen linkages between academia and the public service.

*        Generate a sense of partnership and consultation between government and health professionals, traditional practitioners and alternate professionals who are working on the ground.

*        Classification of HIV and Aids and tuberculosis as a crisis that demands priority attention.

*        A vigorous campaign promoting sexual abstinence and delayed sexual debut, discouraging promiscuity and encouraging the use of condoms.

*        Promotion of free and voluntary routine HIV-testing in schools, hospitals and clinics, together with a campaign against stigmatisation. 

*        Rolling out ARV programmes to reach all infected persons and to protect the babies of all pregnant women. Putting out consistent messages on supplementary measures such as nutrition and traditional medicine.

*        A review of equipment/inventories at hospitals and clinics, coupled with a programme to make up shortfalls.

*        A recruitment drive for health professionals and the development of a motivated, highly professional nursing service.  Fast-track the training of nurses.

*        Improvement of conditions of service of health care workers, including remuneration.

*        Creative use of senior nursing staff to perform functions with higher levels of responsibility.

*        The elimination of corruption, mismanagement and waste from all levels in the Department of Health and in hospitals.

*        The rolling out of an effective programme against TB and XDR TB.

*        The launching of effective public awareness programmes to counter HIV and Aids and TB. 

SOCIAL SOLIDARITY 

The challenge 

Society is judged by the way it treats its most vulnerable -  those marginalised in and by society include people with disabilities, those infected with HIV and Aids, street children, abused women and children, the aged and many others.   

These vulnerable people are reliant on being helped by those who care - government and civil society. Without our joint intervention, they face a parlous future.   

Unfortunately, there is much that militates against a holistic approach to addressing the challenge. Included is the lack of capacity within government, a sometimes fragile civil society intervention, fraud, and serious underfunding. 

The challenge of an IFP government is therefore to provide an appropriate response to the needs of the most vulnerable groups in society. 

The IFP response 

*        Government to see social solidarity challenges as key priorities. It is not good enough that we claim it is a responsibility of the national government or civil society. Local government, too, should partner with province to assist.

*        The fiscus therefore to provide adequate and secure funding to ensure sustainable interventions over the long term.

*        Government to develop appropriate internal capacity. This involves depoliticising appointments, recruiting staff and establishing suitable internal infrastructure.

*        Existing funded posts to be filled as soon as possible.  Conditions of service to be improved.

*        Provision of bursaries for social care students.

*        Promotion of stronger partnerships with civil society.  Government will never replace NGOs and CBOs in the field. The role of government must be to capacitate civil society so that its capacity is not impaired below a critical threshold. Subsidies and other forms of support are essential.

*        Development of infrastructure suitable for interacting with the public on sensitive matters, and repair of buildings that have deteriorated.

*        The department to secure outstanding debts from SASSA (R71m) and dedicate this to upgrading the department's capacity.

*        Deal ruthlessly with fraud which takes money from the needy.

*        Assist SASSA in respect of suitable grant pay points, many of which are unsuitable. Distribute grants in a manner that respects the recipients' dignity and provides for their security.

*        Lobby national government for improvements in the grant system - R880pm for the child grant to age 18 and R1,500 pm for social pensions. 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

The challenge 

KwaZulu Natal has not developed to anywhere near its full economic potential, and indeed, in respect of key sectors, is performing poorly.

For instance, there is large scale disinvestment in commercial agriculture; there has been a relative decline in our manufacturing output accelerated by lessening local and foreign investment; and tourism is not optimising its potential. Smaller towns, including especially those which once depended on mining, lack effective local economic development strategies and are falling into decline. This against a backdrop of massive unemployment and poverty where the people of the province are crying out for jobs and economic participation. 

But the potential of this province is enormous. 

The challenge for government in KZN is thus to create a business environment conducive to direct investment and job creation. To restore Ithala Bank to its previous status as Africa's most successful development corporation. To build the Dube Tradeport-Durban-Richards Bay industrial/shipping/airfreight axis into southern Africa's pre-eminent economic artery, strategically placed on the Indian Ocean Rim. To develop KZN's tourism industry to make the province an internationally sought after destination and Africa's premier holiday destination. To assist in resolving the land claims impasse and crisis of confidence that is hastening the decline in agriculture. 

The IFP response 

*        Evaluate, through outside auditors/consultants, the performance of entities such as the Provincial Growth Fund and Trade and Industry KZN. Formulate future strategies based on those evaluations.

*        Reconfigure Ithala to play the developmental role it had previously been playing in KwaZulu-Natal with great success. Establish, through a forensic audit, exactly what has gone wrong at Ithala Bank.

Take steps to recover monies owing.

*        Reconfigure Trade and Industry KZN to vigorously market KZN's competitive advantages, nationally and internationally, with a strong emphasis on Dube Tradeport, Durban and Richards Bay.

*        Research and facilitate the development of a biofuels industry, in close co-operation with the sugar industry and the petroleum industry.

*        Through Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, vigorously market the province's tourism attractions, nationally and internationally. Upgrade the product

- identify events that can be built into significant tourism attractions (eg Military Tattoo, Ngoma dancing competition, Reed Dance, Midlands Arts Festival, the Duzi, the Comrades Marathon and the Marula Festival) and promote them. Develop the cultural diversity of KwaZulu-Natal into a tourist attraction, to complement scenery, beaches and eco-tourism.

*        Improve security without which tourism is seriously compromised.

*        Facilitate the entry of new entrepreneurs to the tourism industry and provide training and mentorship programmes.

*        Create meaningful incentives for new business and industry to locate in KZN.

*        Promote the upgrading of the rail link between Durban and Gauteng, as well as between Richards Bay and Gauteng.

*        Promote the upgrading of our ports as key economic assets and lobby for the use of the Durban airport site as a new container port.

*        Engage with stakeholders to address the crisis - in jobs, investment and declining output - arising from the Land Claims Commission's tardiness in processing land claims.

*        Pay particular attention to those sectors with the highest job-creation potential - agriculture, tourism and manufacturing.

*        Reintroduce a broad SMME programme centred on activities such as poultry rearing, vegetable cultivation and handicrafts.

*        Refer section on Rural Development and Agriculture for more proposals on agriculture. 

HOUSING 

The challenge 

Housing delivery has been slow because local municipalities do not have the capacity to play their role, planning processes are too slow and the provincial department does not have the skills to manage the processes.

Also, changes in national policy take a very long time to be given effect. There is also the question of corruption in allocation of houses and allocation of contracts. Delays mean constant escalation of costs.

A huge amount of money has been spent on housing but somewhat less on houses. It seems that the housing programme benefits housing contractors, sub-contractors and service providers more than those who are to receive houses. Similarly, there is rampant fraud in the provision of staff housing subsidies within the Provincial Department of Housing. 

The challenge is to ensure that all South Africans have comfortable, safe and affordable shelter in properly planned communities with the necessary social amenities. This to be done in a manner that reverses historical planning ills that located communities along racial lines, away from work and other opportunities and that entrenched economic disparities. Housing delivery programmes to be carried out in a manner that helps stimulate local economic growth. Corruption and inept decisions have in the past hampered housing delivery. 

The IFP response 

*        Reintroduce the advisory board that includes professionals and members of the wider society to advise the MEC and help create an atmosphere of openness.

*        Help all municipalities develop their housing and planning functions to hasten delivery of houses.

*        Someone earning less than R3,500 qualifies for a RDP house.

*        People earning between R3 500 and R12 000 a month to be given a serviced site of reasonable size. This support to be for first time house owners only.

*        Encourage self-help "sweat equity" projects plus projects driven by NGOs.

*        Ensure as part of Ithala Bank's development mandate that it finances loans for homeowners. Strengthen Ithala's capacity to roll out funding on a large scale.

*        Develop an incentive scheme to encourage employers to provide housing assistance for their employees who earn up to R12 000 a month.

*        Provide policy flexibility to provide for alternative building practices that don't compromise standards.

*        Accelerate provision of formal housing in rural areas.

*        Speed up the release of land for housing projects in urban areas.

*        All projects that enjoy government support to keep a register of skills development, SMME development and youth and women empowerment opportunities.

*        Tighten up procedures, appointments and tendering practices to guarantee speedy delivery.

*        Prioritise provision of formal housing in informal settlements.

*        Upgrade hostels to enhance the dignity of occupants.

*        Ensure we provide a habitable environment that includes amenities, social services and supporting infrastructure rather than mere shelter. 

RURAL DEVELOPMENT & AGRICULTURE 

The challenge 

Rural development is the key to combating poverty in KwaZulu Natal since more people and more poor people, live in the rural areas.

Unfortunately, government's urban bias and fractured response has hampered rural development and the situation has reached a point where rural communities have become poorer than they were in 1994. 

Where once these people were producers of their own food, presently they are hapless recipients of food parcels from the government. Agriculture and stock farming have been allowed to collapse to a degree where food security is under serious threat. 

The lack of infrastructure is appalling. Rural schools have remained stagnant in a time of supposed modernisation - lacking electricity, water, computers, libraries and other resources. The same degeneration applies to clinics and hospitals.  

Failure to promote SMMEs, agriculture and co-operatives has resulted in an exodus of people from the rural areas to towns and cities, adding to the numbers of the homeless and unemployed. 

The challenge is thus to implement a holistic approach towards rural development, and in this, to integrate programmes centred on agriculture, education, health and economic development.   

The IFP response 

*     A rural development strategy that allows people to make their own choices and work to achieve them with assistance from government as required.

*     Capacitating people to produce their own food, rehabilitating land with agricultural potential, subsidising ploughing services, fertilisers, seeds and irrigation, as well as providing extension services, to reduce input costs and maximise production.

*     Establishing agricultural villages to encourage and reinforce commercial farming.

*     Setting up partnerships, mentorship and skills transfer between commercial farmers and emerging farmers. Reinvigorate the Cedara Agriculture Research Centre.

*        Facilitation of the development of a biofuels industry, in close co-operation with the sugar industry and other players in the private sector. A drawing of small and medium as well as large-scale growers into the biofuels sector.

*        Making available loan finance from Ithala Bank for small and medium-scale agricultural ventures.

*        Developing agriculture in the province to its full potential.  Enhance food security. Develop agribusiness. Facilitate a transition by subsistence farmers to the commercial agriculture sector. Facilitate the development of new farmers benefiting from the land redistribution programme. Create entrepreneurial opportunities as well as jobs in the agricultural sector.

*        Reviving Vision 2020 (the "Green Revolution") to quadruple KZN's agricultural production. This focuses on relatively small scale though intensive production of high-value products.

*     Establishment in the rural districts of diversified education that caters properly for the vocational, technical and academic needs of rural life. Colleges built in these districts pre-1994 should be reopened and new ones built. The focus should be on adequate resourcing and modernisation of these schools, to integrate them with the world of information technology.

*     Ensure primary health care works.

*     Development of small businesses via initiatives identified in municipal local economic development strategies.

*     Engage with institutions of traditional leadership to promote the optimal use of communal land and in this to promote partnership with the private sector.

*     Establish multi-purpose centres in communal areas offering residents a clustered and appropriate mix of government and private sector services.

*     Cap municipal rates on commercial agricultural land to 0.5 cents in the Rand to protect jobs and the viability of commercial agriculture. 

TRANSPORT 

The challenge 

Transport is key to economic development, communications and the quality of life of people.  Our approach therefore needs to reflect appropriate economic and social priorities. 

Unfortunately, there are a number of important problems that are not being adequately dealt with. The road network has deteriorated to the extent that it sometimes threatens the safety of motorists and general public as well as future economic development. In many places road infrastructure is crumbling, largely due to overloading by heavy duty vehicles - this very serious problem is itself a function of a failed rail network which pushes freight onto the roads instead of rail. The accident rate in the province is intolerably high, due largely to poor driver training and the extent of fraudulent driving licenses. The provincial government's stake in the private taxi industry has unduly focused on regulation and hindrance rather than support and assistance, resulting in inefficiency and unnecessary conflict. Many key institutions in rural areas - such as clinics, schools and traditional courts - are unserviced or inadequately serviced. The public transport subsidy scheme and its administration are extremely confusing and many bus services in the most depressed areas are not subsidised. KZN is over-tolled and there are absurd and unfair plans to further toll motorists in the province. 

The province requires a comprehensive transportation strategy that involves all the key role players both in planning and implementation. 

IFP Response 

*        Refocus the Department of Transport on its core function which is to provide and maintain the road infrastructure and to tackle the multi-billion rand infrastructure backlog in the most critical areas - ie, along the main lines of passenger transportation, in the rural areas and in alignment with current and future economic growth.

*        Establish a provincial transportation board comprising provincial government, SARCC, organised local government, industry and civil society.

*        Prioritise ongoing provincial and municipal roads maintenance failing which we will pay a lot more later on.

*        Implement far stricter measures to penalise those overloading vehicles while simultaneously engaging with national government to promote maximal use of goods transport by rail.

*        Eliminate fraud in the issuance of driving licenses and vehicle testing.

*        Concentrate policing activities on dealing more effectively with the key drivers of road carnage - unsafe vehicles, unlicensed drivers, poor and dangerous driving - rather than speed transgressions in which the key focus appears to be on raising funds rather than safety.

*        Bring transparency to the administration of the public transport subsidy scheme and in the awarding of contracts related to this scheme.

*        Bring the political will to deal with the issues of the taxi industry once and for all.

*        Clamp down on the unjustified use of blue lights by government officials and ensure the manner in which the system functions is not abusive. 

CORRUPTION 

The challenge 

Politics is increasingly becoming synonymous with graft and corruption and surveys show quite clearly that the trust people have in government is constantly decreasing. It does not help, of course, that those accused of corruption are rarely prosecuted or are suspended on generous conditions for an interminable period. It does not help either that instruments designed to fight corruption are themselves ignored, sidelined or closed down. 

The rot has to stop. 

The challenge for an IFP government will therefore be to fight corruption wherever it shows itself, to prosecute the offenders and to eliminate all forms of corruption from public life in KwaZulu-Natal, where it is close to becoming institutionalised. An effective anti-corruption strategy is required partly to end the theft of taxpayers' money, which is happening on a vast scale, and partly because corruption is a strong disincentive to inward investment. No reputable company is willing to invest in a corrupt environment. 

The IFP response 

*     Exposure to public scrutiny of all corruption and fraud over the past 5 years, and the appointment when necessary of Commissions of Inquiry to fully investigate wrongdoing.

*     Together with the Department of Justice and the Prosecuting Authority, to establish a special, dedicated anti-corruption court to fasttrack the prosecution of offenders.

*     Enhancement of the activities of Scopa in the Legislature.  Requiring departments to report to Scopa three times a year instead of only once.

*     Setting up an anti-corruption bureau, attached to Scopa, staffed by seconded forensic detectives, prosecutors and magistrates, so that corruption cases can be speedily prosecuted and decided.

*     Speeding up the process of disciplinary hearings by creating a Disciplinary Hearings Board attached to the Office of the Premier or the Auditor-General.

*     Setting up a Corruption Hotline by which members of the public can pass on information about suspected corruption. Payment of a Corruption Tip-off fee - say 10% of the value of the corruption - to anyone providing information that leads to a successful prosecution for corruption.

*     Rewarding whistleblowers instead of penalising them as is current practice.

*     An IFP government commits to being open, honest, transparent and accountable. We will not tolerate corruption and will take all necessary steps to address it. 

LET'S MAKE IT WORK 

This manifesto captures what the people of KZN have been saying to us over the past year of the IFP's "Listening Campaign". We travelled the length and breadth of the province asking what it was you wanted changed in the administration of KwaZulu Natal to make your life better over the next 5 years. We have taken all of your comments very seriously and have integrated them into this document.  

This is therefore not really a pure IFP manifesto - it is rather a joint manifesto  - yours and ours.  

So, we have listened to you and we have recorded what you want done. The real test however, lies in implementation. 

We say we are "The Tried and Tested Alternative" because we have indeed been tried and tested over a great many years in government. And this experience has made us pragmatic. Focused on doing what needs to be done. Focused on doing what works.  

Our commitment to you is that if elected to run the province, the IFP will do everything possible to bring this manifesto to life.  Let's do it, together. 

VOTE IFP!