Thank you, Hon. Premier, for the fact that departmental officials attended, the quality of life oversight visits are helpful.

However, more needs to be done in making the lives of disable persons better and await the roll-out of new initiatives as per your report.

Statues currently, Honourable members is a sore issue, but the saga of rolling over of funds to Ethekwini for the Indian Indentured Labourers Statue, should heed the MF’s initial inputs. Let the statue not be a person but rather an activity, either sea-netting, sugar-cane cutting or coal mining, which would be welcomed and great for tourism and history.

The MF welcomes 2 increases as follows:

a.   Information Communication Technology (ITC) from R 25,366 to R 61,367 million.

b.   Provincial Policy Management, from R 36,188 to R 67,460.

Hon. Premier, this is required to add on systems for efficiency to the ERPS, for coordination, simplification and standardisation and is welcomed as you have explained.

These will give KZN, strategic advantage in light of our financial and HR woes. The MF supports this budget.

Thank you

Mrs Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi

MF Leader