Durban – Former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala says he is ready for the next challenge in his life following the changes that were made in the provincial administration.
Zikalala was announced by Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube on Thursday as the new Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, taking over from Sipho Hlomuka, who will now lead the Transport, Community Safety and Liaison departments.
In an interview with The Mercury earlier this week, Zikalala said he was looking to new challenges that come with the change of leadership.
He said he was likely to get more time to spend with his family compared to the previous period as premier.
“I am looking forward to training, being with my kids more often, and working in the constituency office,” he said.
He added that as a disciplined ANC member, he was ready to go wherever the ruling party deployed him.
In the new portfolio, Zikalala will interact more closely with the traditional leadership while also being expected to assist municipalities to meet their service delivery mandates.
The safety of traditional leaders has come under sharp focus in recent months following the killing of a number of them, prompting a joint meeting of committees from the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature to discuss the matter recently.
Several municipalities are believed to be in distress and in need of assistance, with many battling to provide services to communities, often leading to service delivery protests.
During the media briefing on Thursday, premier Dube- Ncube appealed for the new MECs to be given time to familiarise themselves with new portfolios.
THE MERCURY
