By MARLAN PADAYACHEE
KwaZulu Natal’s newly-appointed premier-elect Ambassador Nomusa Dube-Ncube says she is committed to championing fair play for women, non-racialism, and non-sexism and will work collectively with the new ANC leadership not to disappoint the province’s 10-million citizens.
The widowed politician, who lost her millionaire businessman husband, Justin Ncube, to Covid-19 last year, has scripted post-apartheid SA history by becoming the first woman PM in 28 years since democracy in 1994.
Significantly her runaway promotion comes on the heels of the 66th anniversary 0n 9 August 1956 when 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings and registered the biggest blow to apartheid’s extended pass laws – hence the birth of the National Women’s Day celebrated countrywide on Tuesday.
The veteran politician took the helm of not only the troubled, factionalized ANC as ‘’leader of society’’, but will guide an economically- battered KZN that is on its financial knees following three devastating incidents – the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic that brought the socio-economy landscape to a standstill; the 2021 political strife and tensions of ousted president Jacob Zuma’s arrest and jail time that triggered the horrific political insurrection and sparked widespread looting and social unrest, mayhem and deaths that shamed the democratic order; and culminating in the 2022 floods of high water and death and destruction resulting400 victims and 40 000 left homeless.
As the MEC of three key departments in 12 years, the premier-elect is au fait with the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality that continues to suffocate the growth of KZN; further exercabated by the scourge of the Covid-19 pandemic and rising poverty and joblessness.
The ANC KZN said the premier-elect – who clinched the yes vote from the provincial executive committee according to deputy chairwoman Nomagugu Simelane for the signature of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national executive committee at Luthuli House – would be hitting the ground running with the challenges and priorities facing the ruling party’s governance of KZN.
In her maiden speech on Monday, Dube-Ncube told the media: ‘’We will champion non-racialism and non-sexism. And indeed we will ensure that that women are capable and women will be given the responsibility to lead.’’
‘’I know we have many challenges in KwaZulu-Natal, but as the leadership has said that we need to sit and settle down and give you a statement once we have worked through some of the priority areas of the conference resolutions.’’
‘’I humbly thank form the opportunity and we will not disappoint the people of KwaZulu-Natal,’’ she said.
Insiders and former aides who worked under the former MEC of three portfolios and at the city hall – economic development and tourism, cooperative governance and traditional affairs and finance – and as former Speaker and Chief Whip of the ANC at the of the eThekwini Municipality and ambassador to the Czech Republic in Prague under the Thabo Mbeki Administration, said that the premier-elect, who will preside over the legislature and government until the national election in 2024, could be described as ‘’fair and firm’’, compassionate to both the civil service and community, an ANC and anti-apartheid loyalist, highly-disciplined and charming cadre with a good sense of humour, but no friend of a hint of ‘’laziness’ ‘and ‘’sloppy’’ professional work and outputs.
Her demeanour, decorum, dignity, image, fashion sense, professionalism and depth of political knowledge economy – spanning two decades – plus her academic qualifications with a master’s degree in public administration and studies towards a doctorate in governance/public administration – had outflanked the other two relatively unknown candidates, both women.
Unsurprisingly, her impressive track record and resume catapulted her into the premiership that was denied to her in 2018, but she stayed the course.
Finally, she got the big call up after her predecessor, Sihle Zikalala, fell out of favour dramatically for a variety of controversial incidents since he ruled over KZN since 2019 and resigned on Friday.
Significantly, on the eve of National Women’s Day, the Hillcrest career politician and mother of adult daughters and girls made history as the first woman premier.
Inside sources said Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube would not be running out of runways and has the potential to reign with absolute confidence by drawing on 30 years of experience, role-playing and political and academic qualifications by steering KZN out of the chasm and socio-economic woes of the three bleak, black years.
Her challenges for accomplishment will include maintaining the clean audit reports of seven positive financial management report ratings from the Auditor-General; tackling head-on fraud and corruption; holding the the centre for KZN’s traditional leadership that controls 70% of rural province; and the sagging socio-economic and social cohesion landscapes and scary youth unemployment; improve shoddy service delivery; turn cash-strapped municipalities around; and start licensing state-owned Ithala Bank to assist underprivileged youth unemployment with financial lifelines to kick start their own businesses.
