KZN Premier Willies Mchunu urgent public engagements: Our journey of building a stronger province is continuing.
President of Liberia feels the warmth of Durban � 27 October 2016
Durban: KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu has warmly welcomed the President of Liberia Her Excellency Dr Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The President is in the province for the 10th General Assembly of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. Ahead of the official opening of the assembly, the premier will be involved in a panel discussion examining relations between government and civil society.
Mchunu remarked: We cherish the opportunity to host over 1000 eye care professionals, policy formulators, researchers, financial institutions and other stakeholders involved in this field of work. As the province we are looking forward to learning about best practices that will strengthen our strategies aimed at improving eye-care services for our people. In this province we have set the targets of eliminating all avoidable causes of blindness by 2020. It is estimated that a total of 34,915 people in KZN are blind due to treatable cataracts, 1,270 of which are children.
Members of the media are invited to attend the panel discussion scheduled to take place at the ICC at 16h00 and the official opening scheduled to take place at 17h30.
Over three days of symposia, courses and plenaries, 10GA will have over 200 renowned speakers covering every aspect of eye care and public policy. These include speakers such as Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Dr Matshidiso Moeti – the Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa region, Mr Tim Evans – Senior Director of Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank, Dr Matshidiso Moeti – Regional Director, World Health Organisation (Africa) and Prof Kovin Naidoo, CEO, Brien Holden Vision Institute.
Sitting of the HRD council to address skills gap and state of higher education � 28 October 2016
Durban: KwaZulu-Natal Premier in his capacity as the chairperson of the Human Resources Development Council will meet with vice-chancellors, academic community and other members involved in the education sector.
He pointed out: We need to examine stability and the future of our higher education sector in the province. We must ensure that our education system produces the required number of skills needed to various sectors of our economy. This is partly to sustain and improve economic growth rates. Importantly, there is a strong realization that we will not achieve our job creation targets if our people are not appropriately skilled to take up the new opportunities we are creating in various sectors of the economy. In KwaZulu-Natal education and skills levels are very low and less than 3% of the adult population of KZN has an accredited tertiary qualification (degree or diploma). The labour force currently is largely unskilled.
Importantly, we need to ensure that programmes on skills development are accessed by people throughout the corners of this province. There should be a strong focus on scarce skills such as engineering, science and technology, accounting, information technology, agriculture, health and social services.
Members of the media are invited to attend the opening session of this HRD council scheduled to take place tomorrow on the 28th October at 08h30 at the Public Service Training Academy at 321 ZK Mathews Road, Glenwood Durban.
Executive statement on the Commission of Inquiry into Political Killings- 28 October 2016
Daunhauser in Newcastle: KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu is scheduled to make an important announcement regarding a Commission of Enquiry during the sitting of the Provincial Legislature in Durnacol in Daunhauser Local Municipality under Amajuba District. Mchunu will address the sitting at 14h00.
Mchunu stressed: The people of KwaZulu-Natal will recall that on the 21st July 2016, following my meeting with the Minister of Police Nathi Nhleko held on the 20th July, I announced that a process was to get underway to appoint a Commission of Enquiry to probe all political related murders in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Members of the media are invited to this important sitting which forms part of Taking Legislature to the people. Premier will address the sitting at 14h00 and media is requested to RSVP with Nomfundo Mcetywa on 076 8715933.
Source: Government of South Africa