As a centrally placed department, the Office of the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal has the responsibility of providing strategic leadership and direction. It also coordinates programmes, legislation and transversal issues in the provincial administration
While it is difficult to capture the specific roles of the Office of the Premier, with such a wide scope of responsibilities it can simply be said that the department has an overarching mandate to facilitate the workings of the various spheres of government in the province. The mission, vision and strategic goals are outlined below.
Mission
The mission of the Office of the Premier is to support the premier in carrying out his constitutional and statutory duties.
The department fulfils this mission primarily by assisting the premier in:
• Professionally executing departmental mandates
• Coordinating and facilitating macro-provincial and transversal issues
• Promoting
cooperative good governance
• Providing the highest quality of analysis and advice
• Creating policy relating to regulations, information and legislation
• Supporting the executive branch of the provincial government in executing laws and policies
Vision
To be the professionally vibrant centre of provincial government.
Strategic goals
1. Coordinate the centre of government in the province
Strategic objectives:
• Provide cabinet secretariat services
• Advise the premier on provincial strategic direction
• Advise the premier on government organisation
• Advise the premier on career incidents of heads of department
2. Formulate, coordinate and develop strategic planning policy and programmes, including priority socioeconomic programmes
Strategic objectives:
• Ensure a coordinated approach by provincial government in respect of strategic
planning and macro policy development
• Promote economic growth and fight poverty
• Ensure successful implementation of priority socioeconomic projects and programmes in the province
• Ensure the effectiveness of policy, planning and programme interventions through evaluation of strategic outcomes
3. Promote human rights in the province by focusing on women, disability, children, the youth and cultural, linguistic and religious rights, as well as the conservation and management of cultural heritage resources
Strategic objectives:
• Promote and coordinate human-rights programmes in the province
• Coordinate the implementation of gender equality programmes
• Conserve, manage and promote awareness of the cultural heritage resources in the province.
4. Facilitate and coordinate the strengthening of governance and service delivery of the provincial administration
Strategic objectives:
• Coordinate and monitor the customisation, development and implementation of human resource policies, systems, programmes and plans for the province
• Monitor and coordinate service delivery by the provincial government as a whole
• Coordinate and monitor the strengthening of local government and promote sound cooperative governance in the province
• Provide legal services and coordinate government information technology
• Capacitate cabinet, cabinet clusters, ministries and departments in legal and policy formulation and implementation
5. Facilitate and coordinate the maximization of revenue to the province from the gambling, gaming and betting industry
Strategic objectives:
• Monitor and verify the provincial revenue received in terms of the KwaZulu-Natal Gambling Act, 1996
• Monitor and verify the provincial revenue
received in terms of the Regulation of Racing and Betting Ordinance, 1957
Provincial priorities
The following strategies will provide the cornerstones of the province’s programmes:
• Rural development and agrarian reform to ensure food security and rehabilitation of emerging farmers who acquired land from land-reform processes by providing mentorship, capacity-building and relevant support. The long-term goal is for the agricultural sector to be strengthened to create jobs and maximise export potential.
• Intensive campaigns to fight crime, support community conflict-resolution mechanisms and promote effective policing, utilising the existing structures and police volunteers. This will be accompanied by the fight against corruption.
• Support the health reforms embodied in the national health insurance for effective health services and promotion of health promotion programmes. The HIV and Aids programmes will be expanded and the
fight against multiple-drug-resistant TB will be prioritised. The conditions of employment will also be attended to in order to eliminate the possibility of frequent industrial action by health personnel.
• Promotion of adult literacy to improve the quality of life of many of our people. The improvement of the quality of education and embarking on grass-roots mobilization to effectively get the culture of schooling and teaching back into classrooms are also a priority.
• Building the economy to create decent jobs, fight unemployment and eradicate poverty. This includes the promotion and development of small enterprises and building a cooperative movement to address the issues of empowerment. We also need to devise strategies to mitigate the impact of the global economic downturn and protect jobs and mitigate the negative impact of retrenchments.
The success of the provincial government programmes hinges on adhering to the principles of good governance which
are, inter alia, service delivery the Batho Pele way, responsiveness, citizen empowerment, public participation, communication and accountability. The Office of the Premier plays a leading role in bringing government closer to the people.
Contact details
Key personnel
Dr Zweli Mkhize, Premier
Nhlanhla Ngidi, Director General
Tel: +27 33 341 3329
Fax: +27 33 342 7368
Physical address: 5th Floor, Telkom Building, 300 Langalibalele Street, Pietermaritzburg
Postal address: PO Box 412, Pietermaritzburg 3200
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