There was much talk about "potential work opportunities" but little said about corruption in the KwaZulu-Natal government and the impact of the July unrest on the province during Premier Sihle Zikalala's state of the province address on Thursday.

The extent of the unrest, which brought the country to its knees in July 2021 and which cost the economy billions, was tragically felt during the Phoenix massacre in which 36 black people were killed, many based solely on the colour of their skin.

The July unrest claimed over 340 lives.

"The Phoenix massacre is one of the most painful and polarising episodes in the history of the province since 1994 which must never be repeated. Whilst the prosecution of those alleged to be involved in these crimes continues, we are also engaging communities in the process of reconciliation and healing," said Zikalala.

Zikalala's plan included "continued engagement and dialogues with peace committees and communities affected by the unrest".

He said a Phoenix memorial unveiling was also part of work done as well as a school "twinning programme" in the area.

The premier called for social cohesion "through sport and recreation programmes especially between the affected communities".

He added that there was some economic recovery for businesses affected by the unrest thanks to Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) who assisted businesses affected by the unrest.

He said the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (DTIC) through its Critical Infrastructure Recovery Programme, working with the Industrial Development Corporation and National Empowerment Fund, disbursed R2.57-billion to 140 businesses in KwaZulu-Natal.

"This programme retained about 50 000 jobs," the premier claimed.

Zikalala said Trade Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) disbursed R9.3-million to 125 businesses and 468 jobs were saved.

He added that the KwaZulu-Natal government was working with the "national government and the DFIs are implementing a programme to de-risk hot spots such as Mooi River and some townships".

Speaking on corruption, Zikalala merely said that since the 2021 Sopa, 16 people were convicted of private sector corruption and 24 government officials convicted for corruption.

Addressing the state of the economy, he said the unemployment rate had risen to 28.7%, from about 23% before the pandemic.

"The increase in discouraged work seekers continues to add to this figure on a regular basis."

He said the economy was "saddled with corporate corruption, failure of companies to invest in self-development, lack of sustainable energy generation, instability created by criminal activities of some business forums".

"All this has been worsened by lockdowns intended to keep citizens safe from Covid-19. To change the status quo, we need major economic reforms anchored on radical economic transformation and greater participation in the mainstream economy."

He claimed that through TIKZN the province had attracted investment to the value of R5.3-billion, with over 8 554 jobs created.

Killing of Amakhosi

Zikalala said "excellent work" was being done to crack cases involving the murders and attacks on Amakhosi.

Police were presently investigating 42 cases of murder involving the killing of traditional leaders since 2012. Zikalala said that so far, 25 people had been arrested in relation to 14 of the cases.

"We also regard the murder of councillors as an attack on our democracy and [an] attempt to subvert the will of the people. We have faith that the culprits will be found and prosecuted."

"We welcome the establishment of the new community safety intervention unit under the Department of Community Safety and Liaison. This unit will work with law enforcement agencies dealing with specific challenges related to the security situation in communities," he said.

Mara Phones failure

Regarding the failure of Mara Phones, a company that was backed by government and launched with much fanfare at the Dube Tradeport with provincial leaders and President Cyril Ramaphosa, Zikalala said the company pledged to invest R1.5-billion and create 736 jobs in KZN.

"Mara Phones production commenced in October 2019, but was disrupted in early 2020 owing to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic and the hard lockdown. Consequently, the production volumes were impacted and were below target."

He added that the Independent Development Corporation (IDC) was not undertaking any further capitalisation of the business.

"It is engaging interested parties on offers to take the business forward."