President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to embark on a visit to KwaZulu-Natal over the next three days.
The visit will start with the unveiling of the King Shaka Zulu statue at the King Shaka International Airport in Durban, where both the President and King Misuzulu KwaZwelithini will deliver addresses.
“His Majesty King Misuzulu KwaZwelithini and Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli will join the President in officiating this tribute to King Shaka kaSenzangakhona, the founding father of the Zulu nation, whose leadership and military strategy forged one of the most powerful kingdoms in Southern Africa.
“The unveiling of this statue aims to honour the King’s legacy and preserve his memory for future generations. The monument will serve as a symbol of unity, strength, and pride for the people of KwaZulu-Natal and the entire nation, celebrating King Shaka's contributions to Zulu history, culture, and identity,” the Presidency said in a statement.
The unveiling of the statue will be followed by discussions with the provincial executive.
“The President will be accompanied by relevant Ministers and Deputy Ministers in this engagement, which is part of a new series of interactions between the President and provinces aimed at enhancing intergovernmental coordination and improving service delivery, in line with the priorities of the 7th Administration.
“The provincial leadership will present to the President its five-year programme that will respond to the national priorities of securing inclusive economic growth, reducing poverty and building a capable and ethical State.
“The meeting will also discuss interventions to improve service delivery at local government level,” the statement said.
This engagement will conclude with a meeting with the Presidential eThekwini Working Group.
“[President Ramaphosa] will be updated on the work being done to support and accelerate efforts by the eThekwini Municipality to improve service delivery, improve business confidence, and reposition eThekwini as an investment and tourism hotspot.
“Established in February 2024, the Working Group represents an intergovernmental collaborative approach to addressing challenges in local government, and includes active participation from all levels of government, the private sector, State-owned enterprises, organised labour and civil society,” the Presidency explained.
The visit to the province will culminate with an engagement with residents at the Presidential Imbizo.
“On Friday, 8 November, President Ramaphosa and members of national, provincial and local government will hear directly from citizens and organised civil society formations during the Presidential District Development Model (DDM) Imbizo, held under the theme 'Leave No One Behind'.
“The imbizo is a platform that allows citizens to make proposals and ventilate problems directly to the leadership, who in turn respond to these inputs and set out plans for developing communities and the economy in the area visited by the President,” the statement concluded. – SAnews.gov.za
