KZN Premier's Priorities are Misplaced

November 28, 2006

The IFP as the Official Opposition in KwaZulu-Natal contends, with concern, that the Premier’s priorities as stated in his End of the Year Report are increasingly misplaced.

“Where the Premier boasts enhancing democracy through izimbizo, he should really be drawing up contingency plans to combat HIV/Aids and related opportunistic infections,” said Leader of the Official Opposition, Dr Lionel Mtshali.

The IFP maintains that the uprooted communities, families torn apart, orphans and child-headed households are not so much the result of the disease as of unclear, tardy and callous policies pursued by the ruling party since 1994.

“Those who care to look beyond the empty propaganda, can see a sleazy, biased and high-spending government which has misplaced priorities and which has run out of ideas,” said Dr Mtshali.

The Premier believes that he is enhancing democracy through izimbizo. “The truth is that izimbizo are contrived media opportunities where people, many of them desperate, are bribed into so-called public participation with a single square meal,” said Dr Mtshali.

The Premier imagines that he is running a transparent government. “He leads by example by accepting political favours in the form of Nguni cattle. Only after he was caught red-handed, did he ceremoniously return the cattle. This is the Premier’s idea of transparency,” said Dr Mtshali.

Under such bleak circumstances, it is up to the IFP as the province’s Official Opposition to talk sense. “The IFP is here to inspire hope and courage to communities that have been promised a utopia since 1994. The IFP prioritises the fight against HIV/Aids and genuine service delivery,” said Dr Mtshali.

Contact:
Dr Lionel Mtshali
083 256 4902