The IFP previously maintained its insistence that the legislature be moved from Pietermaritzburg to Ulundi was just based on economics
26 June 2024 - 11:40
byZimasa Matiwane
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Member of the KwaZulu-Natal cabinet visited King Misuzulu kaZwelithini on Tuesday. Picture: SUPPLIED
After years of campaigning for the KwaZulu-Natal legislature to move its operations back to Ulundi, the new IFP-led provincial government says there are no immediate plans for a move.
Premier Thami Ntuli said the Ulundi precinct, which has been touted for years by his party as a cost-effective way to house the legislature, is no longer a foregone conclusion.
The legislature precinct in Ulundi was inherited from the erstwhile KwaZulu-Natal government led by late IFP founder Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
“There will be a discussion, a dialogue, but whether this is an indication we will be relocating, the answer is no,” Ntuli said.
He made the remarks during an introductory visit by his cabinet to King Misuzulu kaZwelithini at the legislature precinct in Ulundi on Tuesday.
The visit, conducted each time a new cabinet is formed, is a provincial tradition aimed at ensuring a strong relationship between the government and the Zulu monarchy.
Ntuli said the use of the precinct for the meeting with the king was an acknowledgement of its importance for he government he leads.
“The precinct was built by [Buthelezi] government at the time he was leading the province. For us to be in the precinct is an indication we have no intention to abandon any investment made by those who walked the journey before us,” he said.
The IFP previously maintained its insistence that the legislature be moved from Pietermaritzburg to Ulundi was solely economical, against the previous ANC government’s plan to develop a government precinct in Pietermaritzburg.
Figures from two years ago put rental for accommodation and office space for government operations in Pietermaritzburg at R1.5m per year.
Disagreements over the location of the provincial legislature have been a sore point between the IFP and the ANC. The two parties are cogoverning the province with two other parties after the recent elections produced no outright winner.
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KZN legislature will not move to Ulundi right now
The IFP previously maintained its insistence that the legislature be moved from Pietermaritzburg to Ulundi was just based on economics
After years of campaigning for the KwaZulu-Natal legislature to move its operations back to Ulundi, the new IFP-led provincial government says there are no immediate plans for a move.
Premier Thami Ntuli said the Ulundi precinct, which has been touted for years by his party as a cost-effective way to house the legislature, is no longer a foregone conclusion.
The legislature precinct in Ulundi was inherited from the erstwhile KwaZulu-Natal government led by late IFP founder Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
“There will be a discussion, a dialogue, but whether this is an indication we will be relocating, the answer is no,” Ntuli said.
He made the remarks during an introductory visit by his cabinet to King Misuzulu kaZwelithini at the legislature precinct in Ulundi on Tuesday.
The visit, conducted each time a new cabinet is formed, is a provincial tradition aimed at ensuring a strong relationship between the government and the Zulu monarchy.
Ntuli said the use of the precinct for the meeting with the king was an acknowledgement of its importance for he government he leads.
“The precinct was built by [Buthelezi] government at the time he was leading the province. For us to be in the precinct is an indication we have no intention to abandon any investment made by those who walked the journey before us,” he said.
The IFP previously maintained its insistence that the legislature be moved from Pietermaritzburg to Ulundi was solely economical, against the previous ANC government’s plan to develop a government precinct in Pietermaritzburg.
Figures from two years ago put rental for accommodation and office space for government operations in Pietermaritzburg at R1.5m per year.
Disagreements over the location of the provincial legislature have been a sore point between the IFP and the ANC. The two parties are cogoverning the province with two other parties after the recent elections produced no outright winner.
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