Premier Sihle Zikalala addressed the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government's annual planning lekgotla on Wednesday, in Durban, where the goal is to set out the provincial government’s key policy objectives and service delivery programme of action for the 2022 fiscal year.

The lekgotla is a high-level strategic meeting and takes place ahead of the State of the Province Address (SoPA) which Zikalala will deliver on February 24.

Among the key areas of focus at the lekgotla were: the assessment of the provincial efforts to combat Covid-19, arresting the crime wave, progress on the implementation of key service delivery projects, the state of water provision, economic recovery and job creation interventions.

“We reaffirmed that the State remains squarely at the centre of driving the revolutionary agenda of radical economic transformation in KwaZulu-Natal. This means that government at all levels must actively pursue the goals of the Freedom Charter, the National Development Plan, the Provincial Growth and Development Plan and our various integrated development plans,” Zikalala said.

He outlined that the envisaged and necessary social compact would require all political parties to work together.

“Our aim for radical transformation would include building social cohesion and ensuring a conducive environment for investment to grow the economy and create jobs, instructing the provincial government to ensure that all departments must reprioritise and establish dedicated funding for Expanded Public Works, as well as working together to establish a dedicated programme to fight youth unemployment, starting by focusing on unemployed graduates,” he said.

He called for government to consolidate its infrastructure development plans and catalytic projects and partner with the private sector for immediate funding to stimulate the economy and create jobs.

He said district municipalities must reprioritise their budgets to be biased towards water provision.

Zikalala further stated that one of the aims was to uproot crime in the province by ensuring that communities were mobilised to take an active role in fighting crime, drugs and all forms of social ill.

“Under the ANC-led government, our developmental State must unapologetically pursue the implementation of the Freedom Charter, the National Development Plan, and radical economic transformation to bring the previously disadvantaged into the mainstream economy, ensuring that we alter the patterns of ownership in favour of blacks in general and Africans in particular,” Zikalala said.

He referred to the province as a capable developmental State, adding that while it was focusing on attracting investments and improving the ease of doing business, it would not hesitate to implement policies and legislation that disciplined all stakeholders so that the benefits of a growing economy were equitably shared and redistributed to lift the black majority from the yoke and indignity of poverty.

“This means we play a leading role and determine the priority sectors of our economy and intervene where necessary. In our context where millions of our people, including women, the youth, and disabled, are unemployed and facing hunger and poverty, the people of KwaZulu-Natal expect this gathering to come up with plans to create jobs, support enterprise development, and improve their skills,” Zikalala said.