The department of public works and infrastructure has enlisted the support of Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and traditional leaders to tackle construction mafias and speed up infrastructure delivery in rural KwaZulu-Natal.
This emerged after a Monday afternoon courtesy visit by a delegation from the national and provincial leadership of the public works departments, with senior officials from the department’s entities, to meet and present their infrastructure delivery plans for the province to the Zulu monarch at eMashobeni Royal Palace in Pongola, northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Speaking after the meeting, the king said he was grateful to the department for its gesture of respect and commitment to working closely with traditional leadership.
“The meeting was about strengthening ties and workmanship between the department and the royal family. We found great solutions for developing our rural communities and working together with government on issues affecting the Ingonyama Trust, the people of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africans as a whole.”
Public works and infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson said the engagement with the king and amakhosi was “a historic and fruitful” first visit by the department to the king.
“We came to unpack our programme of action and showcase the work being done by our entities,” he said.
“We agreed on a number of action steps to support the work His Majesty is doing, particularly in rural areas. Our discussions focused on the expanded public works programme (EPWP), climate change issues in the built environment and the Independent Development Trust’s work in advancing social infrastructure in rural communities.”
Macpherson also highlighted the importance of collaboration between government, traditional leadership and royal households, especially in confronting challenges such as the construction mafia.
He said the department would soon take to cabinet a framework aimed at ensuring communities are directly involved in government building projects.
The policy, once approved, will make community participation a legal requirement and act as a tool to combat construction mafias by giving local people ownership of projects.
“We requested His Majesty’s assistance through the social facilitation framework, which is a fight-back tool against the construction mafia,” Macpherson said.
“His Majesty was very supportive of the policy and understood its importance in bringing communities into projects by law so they can protect and look after them.”
The discussions also covered Ingonyama Trust land, where several departmental properties are located but have not been properly surveyed for years.
With the king’s support, Macpherson said they will develop a memorandum of understanding with the trust to ensure the properties are valued correctly and rates paid to local municipalities.
He said KwaZulu-Natal would be one of two provinces to pilot reforms to the EPWP and King Misuzulu had agreed to personally unveil the new programme.
He highlighted major projects under way in the province, including a R300m schools infrastructure project near Ulundi and R1bn renovations at the Durban high court.
KwaZulu-Natal public works MEC Martin Meyer described the meeting as a moment of unity and shared purpose.
“The meeting shows that not only is this government for all the people of KwaZulu-Natal, but His Majesty is the king of all the people of the province. That’s why it was wonderful to be here.”
He briefed the king on renovations of government buildings in Ulundi and efforts to assist the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs to ensure the legislature building is used by local traditional leaders and the provincial council of traditional leaders.
Meyer raised concerns about invaded public works houses in Ulundi, describing them as a security risk to the department and the king. He said plans were in place to address the issue and drive Ulundi’s redevelopment.
The department briefed the king on a rural connectivity initiative that will see cellphone towers installed on government properties, starting in uMkhanyakude district.
The departments gifted the king with two cattle, a gesture the monarch appreciated.
TimesLIVE
