KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli is feeling the weight of South Africa’s second-most populous province on his shoulders.
It’s been a busy week for Ntuli: the national government descended on the province for a week-long presidential imbizo; his party, the IFP, had a meeting on Saturday to strategise how to counter the political threat from Jacob Zuma’s MK Party; on Sunday he met with members of the parties that make up the executive leadership in the provincial legislature; and on Monday and Tuesday he attended an investor conference. He barely managed to squeeze in dinner with his wife for his birthday.
The IFP’s provincial leader was elected premier with the support of the ANC, the DA and the National Freedom Party (NFP) after tense post-election negotiations, during which MK, which won 45% of the vote in KZN, was left out in the cold.
MK’s performance in the province contributed to the ANC’s 17 percentage point drop in support nationally.
The government of provincial unity (GPU) that Ntuli leads has a slim one-seat advantage over the opposition. It requires an abundance of a rare quality for most politicians: loyalty.
MK is pushing hard to make inroads in the province and elsewhere, mostly through turning ANC and EFF councillors in municipalities to force fresh elections, where the party seeks to enter the governance fray. So far, in KZN at least, MK has not shot the lights out in by-elections.
“MK is a factor we cannot ignore ... that is why we had a strategy session this weekend as the IFP, considering the political dynamics of the province,” Ntuli says.
The political frailty of the coalition led by Ntuli, coupled with the dire socioeconomic conditions in KZN and the threat from Zuma’s party, makes his task difficult.
“It’s demanding. It requires an understanding that the life of the nation is in your hand; if you falter, millions will suffer,” Ntuli tells the FM.
The provincial government notes that there has been some progress during its four months in office, including a step up in the fight against crime and a push towards stabilising the provincial budget — its finances are in a dire state — and growing the economy.
During this week’s investment conference, about R70bn in investments were committed to the province over the next 24 months; Ntuli expects the conference to end with pledges of R100bn. This kind of stimulus could reshape the province — but political stability is the key and Ntuli spent the weekend in meetings over precisely this.
If you falter, millions will suffer
— KwaZulu Natal premier Thami Ntuli
Recent reports indicated that the ANC and MK were holding secret talks to work together to take over the province. The unverified reports coincided with increasing activity on WhatsApp groups and social media sympathetic to MK.
Ntuli met the ANC, DA and the NFP on Sunday to quell suspicions among partners that there are moves to shift the balance of power in the province.
“We met as the GPU ... to reconfirm our commitment to ensure political stability for the next five years ... We all agree that changes in government will not allow any administration to be responsive enough to boost and sustain service delivery,” he says.
The presidential visit last week included a meeting between the provincial and national cabinet. KZN has not recovered from the July 2021 unrest and the devastating floods of 2022, Ntuli says.
The national government is stepping in to provide support, but there are concerns that this could be slow — for instance, the province was told to apply to the national government for funding to mitigate the effects of climate change, even as it suffers from the impact.
Nevertheless, Ntuli says: “We believe we have prioritised what needs to be done and our MECs have hit the ground running, we have to start moving forward ... KZN is not living under normal circumstances.”
Ntuli is also in close contact with Cyril Xaba, the ANC mayor of eThekwini, the province’s economic heart. He is adamant that if eThekwini falters, the province fails.
The metro is part of a pilot project for Operation Vulindlela, which is set to include local government in its second phase. Minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told the FM recently that the city was making progress, with the possibility that most, if not all, its beaches would be safe for swimming during the holiday period this year after being blighted by sewage spills for years.
KZN was the epicentre of a huge political shift in the 2024 election. Zuma’s support base in the province catapulted his party to the third largest in parliament and the title of official opposition.
Ntuli and the parties working with him in KZN are in the front line of the battle to hold back the MK tide — and the only way to do that is to ensure visible change in the lives of the province’s people.
“It gives me sleepless nights,” says Ntuli. “My job is to ensure that the people must see change, and change that is significant.”
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