The IFP sees an uphill battle for groups that want to dislodge the Prime Minister of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr. Thami Ntuli.
On the other hand, the leading party in efforts to dislodge Ntuli, the MKP, sees that it is only a matter of time before this leader leaves office.
These groups said this while commenting on the speech on the state of the province presented by Ntuli.
The IFP said that Ntuli’s speech will make the journey of those who oppose his leadership more difficult.
The spokesperson of the IFP in the Legislative Assembly, Dr Andile Biyela, said that Ntuli explained in detail where he stands and fulfills the promises he made in last year’s speech.
“He had said that he would deal with the issue of illegal immigrants and sexual violence. We have seen that the level of crime has decreased in KwaZulu-Natal. He had said that he would invest a lot of money in education. Indeed, we have seen the province do well in matric results. He brought a complete report on what he has done and will make it difficult for the opposition.”
MKP spokesperson in the Legislature, Mr. Siphiwe Moyo, said that they will again file a motion of no confidence in Ntuli’s leadership, saying that his speech left them disappointed.
“When I listened to the speech of the Prime Minister of Gauteng (Mr. Panyaza Lesufi) I heard him lay out his tactics. I did not hear any tactics when I listened to Ntuli’s speech. That is why we will once again file a motion of no confidence in his leadership.”
Ntuli delivered his speech on Friday, in Pietermaritzburg. He praised the growth of the province’s economy.
He said the province’s economy is showing growth following the disruption of the 2021 looting riots and the outbreak of the Corona epidemic.
“The economy grew by 1.8%. Although it did not grow spectacularly, the recent growth reassures us as the economy has not been growing well.”
He stated that investors have committed to invest R100 billion in the province.
He said that a lot of job opportunities have been created, but he said that 400,000 jobs are still needed to reduce the unemployment rate.
The ruling coalition parties applauded Ntuli’s speech.
The leader of the DA in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Francois Rodgers, said that the unemployment rate will decrease if the provincial government continues in the same gear.
“The province’s economy continues to grow, we are not going backwards. What pleases me is that he has put in place strategies to grow the economy, which is the construction of infrastructure, the marine economy and cooperation with investors.”
A member of the ANC, Mr. Siboniso Duma, said that Ntuli’s speech touched on many important topics including the construction of infrastructure, full employment in health, the employment of social workers and the province’s excellence in matric results.
“You can also see that he did not take over a weak government, some of the things he wanted were done by the ruling government. The truth is we know that we are coming from a long way. He was able to speak the truth about where we are as a province.”