The IFP in KwaZulu-Natal has described plans by the provincial government to build a precinct that will house the legislature as wasteful, unnecessary and an attempt to erase the legacy of its founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa said on Tuesday that building a new government precinct in Pietermaritzburg as proposed by the provincial government led by the ANC would be a duplication, as this infrastructure already exists in Ulundi.
The plan to develop a government precinct in Pietermaritzburg was first presented two years ago to the public works portfolio committee and was recently mentioned by premier Sihle Zikalala during his state of the province address as a project that is on the cards. “The presentation stipulated that the total development costs would be R6.817bn and the market value of the precinct after construction would be R11bn.
The IFP leader said the source of funds was announced as KwaZulu-Natal's own funds of R350m, the sale of properties for R120m, savings from equitable share and a The IFP also believes that the ANC in the province is displaying an “anti-Zulu history and heritage and it treats anything that has to do with the name Mangosuthu Buthelezi as venom”.
Hlabisa reiterated that SA does not have money and likewise KwaZulu-Natal does not have funds, especially after the devastating socioeconomic effects of both Covid-19 and the July 2021 unrest, looting and destruction of property.