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 His Majesty the King of the Zulu nation Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhezukulu has called upon more KZN men to undergo circumcision as part of efforts to combat the spread of HIV/Aids. The King’s appeal came today during the uLwaluko Homecoming Ceremony which was held in Kokstad in the Harry Gwala district municipality.

This ceremony welcomes back young men who have successfully undergone the practice of ukusoka (circumcision). It celebrates their safe return from the six initiation traditional schools around the Greater Kokstad area. It was attended by KZN MECs for Cogta Nomusa Dube-Ncube, Health Sibongiseni Dhlomo, Social Development Weziwe Thusi, and Arts Culture and Sports and Recreation Bongi Sithole-Moloi.

His Majesty’s call is in line with the decree he made in 2009 when he revived the tradition of ukusoka (circumcision) which was backed enthusiastically by the KZN Provincial Government. Since then over 700 000 men in the province have been circumcised.

The King has also urged government to ensure that indigenous knowledge is used in conjunction with the best of Western medical practices to ensure that the fight against the spread of the HIV/Aids is ultimately successful.

Speaking at the ceremony, MEC Dube-Ncube thanked the King for his visionary leadership in reviving this practice which is also being championed by the Provincial Government. “As the Provincial Government, we are happy to see young men in Kokstad and all surrounding areas undergoing the practice of traditional circumcision in safe and hygienic environments. We are also happy to see that these men are being taught about the responsibility men have in building our communities,” said Dube-Ncube.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokespersons Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Msawakhe Mayisela, 060 966 4220

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The KZN Provincial Government together with His Majesty the King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu will be welcoming new initiates (Amakrwala) in Kokstad tomorrow, Tuesday 9 January 2018.

This ceremony welcomes back young men who have successfully undergone the practice of ukusoka (circumcision). It celebrates their safe return from the six initiation traditional schools around the Greater Kokstad area.

Since His Majesty revived the practice of traditional circumcision there have no reported casualties. This is due to the fact that traditional circumcision is now performed by qualified medical personnel.

This practice represents the beginning of a new period in life for these initiates – one that is filled with responsibilities as well as expectations.

His Majesty will also share his wisdom with these young men regarding their expected role in the building of stronger communities.

Members of the media are invited to attend this event, the details of which are as follows:

Date: Tuesday, 9 January 2018

Venue: Shayamoya Sports Grounds, Kokstad

Time: 09:00 am

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokespersons Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Msawakhe Mayisela, 060 966 4220

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KZN Disaster teams have been despatched to the City of Newcastle, following vicious hailstorms that wreaked havoc last night damaging both public and private infrastructure in the municipality.

Newcastle in the north of KZN experienced a particularly devastating hail storm which wrought significant damage on homes, smashing windows and property.  The worst affected areas are the township of Osizweni, Madadeni and rural areas. Hail storms are endemic in this part of the province during the summer season.

Disaster teams are on the ground providing first line emergency relief support.

“We express our sympathy with the community of Newcastle.  We are working together with the municipal disaster teams to take stock of the damage and provide emergency relief support.  As we enter the summer season with its history of unpredictable weather patterns and disasters, we must urge all residents and visitors to KZN to heed our weather warnings and exercise utmost caution when weather reports point to heavy storms and the like,” said KZN MEC for Cogta Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

“As we take stock of the hail storm in Newcastle, we would like to assure the public that our disaster management teams are ready to assist all affected communities with emergency relief,” said Dube-Ncube.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokesperson Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403 or Msawakhe Mayisela on 0609664220

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KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube has expressed her sadness at the passing of Inkosi Ntemba Mthethwa of the Mhlana Traditional Council who was one of the eldest and most senior of amakhosi in the province.

Inkosi Mthethwa hailed from the traditional community with strong historical links to the mighty King Shaka. He was a traditional leader of monumental importance to the history and the province of KwaZulu-Natal.  He is one of illustrious senior traditional leaders who brought a lot of dignity and decorum to the institution of traditional leaders.

“We are deeply saddened at the passing of such a respected traditional leader in our province who distinguished himself as a strong proponent for the development of his community.  Inkosi Mthethwa’s passing opens a huge void within the institution of traditional leaders.  Death has suddenly extinguished a great and bright star that has been a key pillar and guiding light in the difficult journey to restore the dignity of the institution of traditional leaders, said Cogta MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

Inkosi Mthethwa’s passing at the ripe age of 93 after a long illness marks an end of a significant chapter within the institution of traditional leadership in our province.

“Our hearts are heavy as this Inkosi had played a particularly meaningful role in the development of his community. His leadership will be sorely missed and we pass on our heartfelt condolences to the family and the community. He left an indelible imprint in the lives of many and his leadership will continue to inspire all of us to work harder to accelerate rural development,” said Dube-Ncube.

The department is in contact with the grieving family and relevant support is being provided to Inkosi Mthethwa’s traditional community. Once confirmed, the funeral arrangements for Inkosi Mthethwa will be communicated to the public.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokespersons Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Msawakhe Mayisela, 060 966 4220

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KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube has placed her department’s disaster management teams on alert following the weather warning issued by the South African Weather Service about heavy rains which could lead to localised flooding in eThekwini, Ilembe, King Cetshwayo, uMkhanyakude and Ugu districts.

The weather reports indicate that showers are expected from tomorrow, Tuesday, afternoon and will become heavy from early in the morning on Wednesday until 2pm. The impact of this is that roads could become flooded leading to traffic disruptions, especially for commuters in the morning. Small streams may also rise sharply, with low-lying bridges overflowing. Mudslides are a possibility along river embankments.

“We are urging our communities to take precautions and those who are planning to travel need to take into consideration the inclement weather. We have also instructed our disaster management teams to monitor key routes that are prone to flash flooding,” said Dube-Ncube.

The warning comes at a time when the province is gearing up to host thousands of holidaymakers. “Natural disasters are a risk in KZN as heavy rains and floods leave millions of rands in damages and occasionally result in loss of life. Parents must ensure that children are safe and do not go out when the weather is bad. Those residing in low-lying areas need to find shelter on higher ground,” continued Dube-Ncube.

Emergency plans have been activated in municipalities to ensure that adequate support is provided to those who might be affected by the heavy rains.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokespersons: Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Msawakhe Mayisela, 060 966 4220

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KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has roundly condemned a horrific video that has gone viral which apparently features Deputy Mayor of Mthonjaneni local municipality, allegedly standing by as what appear to be his protectors engaging in animal cruelty and alleged intimidation of the community.

In the video, two dogs are seen tied to a pole as man clad in suits with the Deputy Mayor in tow, shoot the dogs with a high calibre rifle at point blank range. What is concerning is that the area appear to be a residential area.

“This conduct is completely unacceptable, particularly from someone who is expected to set an example in his community as an elected public representative,” said KZN MEC for Cogta Nomusa Dube-Ncube in reaction to the video in which the Deputy Mayor appears to be shooting at dogs at point blank rage with “callous insensitivity”.

KZN Cogta holds all elected public representatives in municipalities to a high standard and the department does not shy away from speaking out when such a standard is not adhered to as in the case in the video apparently showing the Deputy Mayor of Mthonjaneni and his bodyguard.

“We add our voice to all those who are calling for a full investigation of this incident. We call for stern disciplinary action to be taken should  the investigation confirm the allegations of animal cruelty and intimidation of the community. Such behaviour cannot be tolerated,” said Dube-Ncube.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokesperson Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403

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“It is my right to know my status; Prevention is my responsibility” – with these words KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube opened the eThekwini commemorations of this year’s World Aids Day where she was joined by eThekwini Mayor Cllr Zandile Gumede.

The commemorations were hosted at the Rydalvale Sports Ground in Ward 49, Phoenix, in eThekwini Metro. The event saw close to two thousand community members coming together to remember the plight of those who are affected by this disease and the lives that have been lost to it.

“Our commemorations today should be a reminder to all of us that the battle is not yet won against the disease that has caused so much pain and heartache in our communities. It has left many households headed by children. As the Provincial Government, we will never cease to work with our communities to eliminate this disease,” said Dube-Ncube.

“As we commemorate this day today, we are joined by millions across the world as this disease knows no skin colour. We fully comprehend that this virus is not just a health challenge, but rather a challenge that impacts negatively on our daily social, cultural and economic activities. As communities we therefore have to take a stand against it,” continued Dube-Ncube.

In her address, the Mayor of eThekwini urged communities to fight against HIV/Aids-related stigma and discrimination. “People who suffer from this disease are our brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. We need to support people who are infected and affected by it as great progress has been made to ensure that people are able to live normal lives even though they may suffer from it,” said Gumede.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokespersons Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Msawakhe Mayisela, 060 966 4220

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KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube has expressed her disappointment that some municipalities are still not complying with the 2014 regulations on the appointment of senior managers as there still remain numerous vacancies. Dube-Ncube was addressing KZN’s mayors and municipal managers during a regular Munimec meeting in Durban today.

“The senior management vacancy rate in KZN municipalities is currently at 36.5% – that is 110 vacancies out of 301 senior management posts in municipalities across the province. Of these, 26 municipal manager and 16 chief financial officer posts are vacant. I urge all mayors to prioritise these appointments as municipalities cannot function properly without them,” said Dube-Ncube.

Municipalities have been advised on numerous occasions on the process to follow to fill their critical posts even while they await the expiry of current employment contracts to ensure that municipal management posts are occupied at all times. Despite these efforts, some municipalities still continue to not comply and progress in the filling of critical vacancies is slow.

“At the same time, it is very disappointing that only 68 (or 23%) of the 301 senior management posts in KZN municipalities are occupied by women. Mayors are urged to consider their employment equity plans in the appointment of senior managers to ensure gender and demographic representativeness in their senior management,” said Dube-Ncube.

Munimec is a regular inter-governmental forum where the MEC for Cogta interacts with the province’s mayors and senior municipal officials. In addition to the filling of critical senior management vacancies and gender equity disparities, today’s meeting has also debated issues pertaining to integrity and ethics management, public procurement, water restrictions, housing and job creation.

For more information contact KZN Cogta spokespersons Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Msawakhe Mayisela, 060 966 4220

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KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has today in Durban signed two important agreements with private sector partners – Key Dimensions Risk Solutions to improve the risk management capacity of municipalities and FNB to support aspiring young entrepreneurs in their efforts to contribute to job creation.

“Cogta is already partnering with Key Dimensions Risk Solutions in building capacity in municipalities to identify, assess and manage risks that may threaten achievement of the municipal objectives. Our next partnership project with them is about assessing municipal risks from the provincial perspective,” said KZN MEC for Cogta Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

The newly signed partnership with Key Dimensions Risk Solutions at a total sponsorship value of R681 737 covers two capacity building areas, namely facilitating workshops for risk managers who are municipal officials and facilitating risk management awareness workshops for elected councillors at KZN municipalities.

The agreement signed today was with FNB which is already supporting Cogta’s Youth Enterprise Parks project which aims to provide spatial opportunities to empower the youth to form enterprises that could constitute 25% to 50% ownership and control by the young men and women who establish these enterprises.

“Our pilot project here is the Business Incubator Programme in Msunduzi whose goal is to create strong entrepreneurs who will in turn create sustainable jobs for the economy. The project further aims to leave a legacy and to assist partners with the creation of a database of reliable and effective entrepreneurs,” said Dube-Ncube.

FNB has committed to investing R3,543,950 in 2018 which will be allocated to training 100 young entrepreneurs in KZN. Mentorship and guidance will be provided by the FNB to help young entrepreneurs start or scale their business operations. The department will be responsible for choosing suitable entrepreneurs for this programme.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokesperson Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403

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KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube has placed the province’s disaster management teams on standby as inclement weather conditions are expected through the weekend.

Dube-Ncube has urged communities to exercise caution over the weekend as heavy rains coupled with hail and strong winds are expected to hit areas in the central and northern parts of the province (uMgungundlovu, uThukela, Amajuba, UMzinyathi and Zululand).

The department has sensitised municipalities to oncoming risks and measures are in place to deal with any eventuality.

“We urge residents not to take unnecessary risks like crossing rivers or swollen streams where water is above their ankles. Motorists we urge to drive slowly as roads are slippery and if they are trapped with their vehicle in rising water, they should abandon it and immediately seek higher ground,” continued Dube-Ncube.

Residents are urged to follow news reports on radio and television for updates on the situation across the province.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokespersons Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Msawakhe Mayisela, 060 966 4220

Date: 24 November 2017

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