Historic KZN service delivery pact

Dear Editor

Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in KwaZulu-Natal have come together to sign a historic Service Delivery Pact.

This agreement which has been six months in the making and follows on from our successful cooperation in by-elections to win wards from the ANC, will ensure that where each party holds seats in a hung municipality, we will work together to improve service delivery and better the lives of residents.

The DA and IFP share a strong commitment to Constitutionalism, the rule of law and service delivery improvement. We are also parties of government that govern in various local municipalities across the country and are only two of three parties that have governed a province.

There can be no doubt that the ANC has wrecked local government across KZN and it is up to the IFP and DA to restore faith and trust in the political process. That is why we believe we are able to come together and put the interests of citizens first.

This shared agreement is a major turning point in the politics of our province and will bring much needed stability to a number of municipalities where the IFP and DA work together.

Some of the key objectives of the agreement include:

Ensuring that communities have access to basic service delivery;
Relieving residents and businesses from crippling loadshedding by accessing affordable and sustainable electricity;
Bringing in investment and jobs to the local economy and making it easier for businesses to trade;
Supporting devolution of power within the constitutional and legislative framework;
Eliminating corruption and patronage networks and;
Promoting multilingualism and enhancing our heritage landscape.

The DA and IFP have also included 15 priorities that our joint caucuses will set to work on which will radically change the landscape of local government in KZN if successfully implemented.

In the interests of transparency and to gain the trust of voters in these municipalities we will also be publishing these agreements so that they can hold us accountable. This is a first for KZN and a fresh approach from the shady ANC/EFF coalition agreement that is built purely on corruption and access to state resources.

Both parties are aware of the immense responsibility that voters have entrusted us with and we dare not fail them. It is our collective view that we can achieve more together than separately, as well as being able to learn from one another.

We are guided by the approach of IFP Founder and President Emeritus, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi who has sought to bring parties together from across the political, religious and racial divide for over 40 years and the current work that DA Leader, John Steenhuisen has been doing to bring various opposition parties together to unseat the ANC in next years election.

We thank them for their guidance and support during this time and will continue the work they have started.

As we move forward, we do so knowing that time is of the essence and now is the time to deliver to the people of KwaZulu-Natal. We dare not fail them.

Regards

Francois Rodgers, MPL
Leader of the DA in the KZN Legislature