IFP: M&G article cherry-picks the facts

As with anything involving money, the public debate over the location of the capital of KwaZulu-Natal is understandably emotional. And as with all heated debates, the most valuable intervention is information. 

Last week’s article by Mr Paddy Harper omitted some important facts (“We’ll make Ulundi the capital – IFP”, Mail & Guardian, 10 May 2024); facts that have been effectively hidden through the smoke and mirrors of politicking.

Over several years, I have engaged with many business people in Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands on the possibility of moving the seat of provincial governance from Pietermaritzburg, and returning it to Ulundi. Our conversations invariably begin with fear for what this would mean for the city’s economy, but end in agreement that the path mapped out by the current government will do greater harm than good. 

Once all the information is on the table, the right path is easy to identify.

Right now, the government of KwaZulu-Natal owns a state-of-the-art provincial precinct. It includes a provincial legislature building with a house that seats 130 members — more than sufficient for the 80 MPLs serving in the legislature. The gallery accommodates 650 guests. 

There are offices for the premier, the speaker, the deputy speaker and all ministers, as well as departmental offices. There is ministerial housing as well as housing for the speaker, deputy speaker, premier and senior managers. There are 131 four-roomed apartments to accommodate MPLs; far more than is needed. 

Yet, for the last twenty years, none of this has been used. 

Instead, the ANC-led government has squandered billions of rand renting duplicate space. And now it is borrowing billions more — at the expense of KwaZulu-Natal far into the future — to fund an almost ten-year vanity project, duplicating infrastructure that already exists.

The building of a provincial precinct in Pietermaritzburg carries a price tag of over R6.8 billion. Realistically, this money will never be available. It requires a loan from National Treasury, which National Treasury cannot approve. How long would it take to repay such a loan? It goes against financial wisdom to saddle future generations with such an impossible debt, when the provincial economy is already unable to cope.

Pietermaritzburg has been the centre of government in KwaZulu-Natal for twenty years. Yet Pietermaritzburg is falling apart. Infrastructure is crumbling, decay has set in, rubbish is piled up in the streets and criminals have free rein. 

It is understandable that business is afraid of further decline. But clinging to something that is not working is not the way to ensure survival.

I agree with the Chamber of Business that funds need to be spent on infrastructure, to revitalise Pietermaritzburg. But borrowing money that we cannot repay to build one government precinct (that already exists elsewhere) makes no sense. We should be spending on infrastructure that supports economic development and investment in business.

We should be pouring money into cleaning up the city, eradicating crime and creating a conducive environment for investment, so that business will grow.

Mr Harper is right about one thing. The decision to move the capital from Pietermaritzburg to Ulundi is not mentioned in the IFP’s national or provincial manifesto. This is because we believe that in-depth engagement is needed on how best to move forward in a way that will protect Pietermaritzburg from continuing to run at a loss or being saddled with outrageous debt. 

The concern has been expressed that the provincial government does not have the kind of money it would take to move the capital. On the other hand, it does not have the kind of money that is required to stay.

It is a matter of using the resources available to best possible effect. No one is talking about abandoning Pietermaritzburg. The IFP is committed to reviving the city and ensuring that twenty years from now it is a thriving centre of business, commerce and tourism — a far cry from the ruin left behind by a government that serves only its own interests.

It is unconscionable to duplicate in Pietermaritzburg what already exists in Ulundi when there is absolutely no money to waste. The prudent use of finances is a fundamental responsibility of government, and one that the IFP will vigorously champion.

We want this matter to be fully considered, weighing all the pros and cons. But we will only find the right solution when all the information is on the table. 

The cost to taxpayers of renting space for government has been more than R150 million a year. That is triple what is cost to run two capitals, as we did in 1994 when all parties in the provincial legislature agreed that this was the most sensible and cost-effective arrangement.

Lest we forget, the ANC’s track record of financial decisions is disastrous, because the interests of the party trump the interests of us all. 

Velenkosini Hlabisa is the president of the Inkatha Freedom Party.