Pietermaritzburg: KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has signed a landmark co-operation agreement with the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council (KZN CC), signalling a decisive shift towards structured collaboration between government and the faith sector to confront some of the province’s most urgent social challenges.
According to South African Government News Agency, the agreement, signed in Pietermaritzburg, establishes a strategic partnership aimed at addressing crime, poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, and moral decline through coordinated, province-wide interventions. Grounded in practical and measurable actions, the partnership is built upon four key pillars, including food security, crimefighting and survivor support, shelter and rehabilitation for the homeless, and moral regeneration and community mobilisation.
The food security pillar focuses on promoting community-based agriculture through the establishment of gardens on church and residential land, with government support in the form of fenci
ng, seeds, tools, and technical assistance. In terms of crimefighting and survivor support, the partnership aims to provide survivors of crime with psychosocial and legal support via trained counsellors and advisors, while launching peacebuilding initiatives across all 11 district municipalities.
For shelter and rehabilitation for the homeless, the agreement includes identifying underutilised government buildings and church facilities to offer shelter, alongside structured rehabilitation and reintegration programmes. Moral regeneration and community mobilisation will be driven by values-based community engagement and social renewal through faith-led initiatives, in collaboration with relevant provincial departments.
Ntuli emphasised the significance of the strategic value of the agreement, noting that with a membership base exceeding 3.4 million across KwaZulu-Natal, the KZN CC is well-positioned to mobilise grassroots support and foster meaningful, community-driven transformation. He stated that the partne
rship is a bold step towards restoring the moral compass of society, empowering the church to lead in rebuilding communities and fostering peace and dignity across the province. Ntuli also highlighted the government’s commitment to working with all sectors of society to create safe, resilient, and morally grounded communities, describing the agreement as not only a partnership of principle but a call to action where leadership, faith, and civic responsibility converge to reshape the province’s future.