Durban - Health services in rural Harding, south of KwaZulu-Natal, received a much needed boost with the opening of two clinics worth R14 million.
The opening of the clinics was also an opportunity for more than 200 local business people, political, religious and traditional leaders to give budget tips to Finance MEC Ina CronjS.
Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo said the opening of the clinics in Santombe and KwaMbonwa is a firm attempt to address issues of primary healthcare in Harding.
"The clinics will make it possible for all the local people to access healthcare without travelling long distances to hospitals. They will also make it possible for all expectant mothers to access both ante-natal and post natal care. It will now remain the responsibility of Amakhosi and religious leaders to ensure that every woman that is pregnant does attend the clinics," said Dhlomo.
The Health MEC also donated five wheelchairs, 10 walking sticks and 10 medication bags to the clinics.
The opening of the clinics was also used as a chance to create awareness about the pre-budget road show, which is a consultative exercise by provincial treasury ahead of the KZN budget presentation on 8 March.
Outlining the budget process to community members, CronjS emphasised the need for their participation in the formulation of the budget so that government can be better informed of the needs and challenges facing them.
"This is also a way of ensuring community participation in governance," she said.
Emphasising measures guiding expenditure for public institutions, she said that institutions must observe principles of on-budget expenditure, obtaining clean audits, cutting unnecessary costs, getting value for money and doing more with less, as well as dealing with corruption and deliberate wrong-doing.
"Government must deliver more services, more effectively with less money," she said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development has made good on their programme for eradicating invasive alien species.
On Saturday, Sabuyaze Secondary school in KwaMaphumulo received 200 desks, which were made from processing the alien plants.
The department removes invasive alien plants like pine and gum trees to clear the land for utilization. These plants are then processed at the departmental plant in Cedara to make valuable wood products that include school and office furniture, desks, park benches and eco-coffins.
These bi-products are then made available to the department's stakeholders and general public at a reasonable cost.
Invasive alien plants pose a direct threat to the biological diversity, water security, the ecological functioning of natural systems, the productive use of land and also sustainable livelihoods.
"Education is one of the key priorities of our government, if not the most important. It is key to the development of any nation because it's a sector that builds and grooms our human capital. Education is central to our activities as a country because even as we continue to address complex challenges of skills shortage and skills development, we highly rely on its guidance in finding lasting solutions for our social and economic development," said MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development Lydia Johnson, as she handed over the desks.
