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IOL News
23-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
KZN Premier Ntuli urges youth to seize business opportunities for economic transformation
KZN Premier Thami Ntuli urges youth to take full advantage of business opportunities Image: Independent Newspapers Archives KWAZULU-NATAL Premier Thami Ntuli has called on the youth to take full advantage of the business opportunities presented to them, as they have the capacity to transform the economic landscape of the province. Ntuli addressed the Youth Fund beneficiary workshop held in Durban yesterday. He stated that the training and workshop are part of the government's intervention to equip young entrepreneurs with technical and business support. He emphasised that the workshop demonstrates the provincial government's commitment to building a more inclusive, dynamic, and opportunity-rich economy for the youth of KwaZulu-Natal. 'In July last year, during my inaugural State of the Province Address, a clear and urgent commitment was made: to place the economic empowerment of young people at the heart of KwaZulu-Natal's development agenda. That pledge was not a passing statement — it was a declaration of intent, backed by action. 'Soon after that address, the Office of the Premier convened the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Business Summit — a bold and participatory platform attended by over 1,000 youth entrepreneurs, ecosystem partners, and economic stakeholders,' he said. The Premier stated that the objective was clear: to co-create a Provincial Youth Economic Empowerment Plan that reflects both the aspirations and lived realities of young people in our province. 'The Government of Provincial Unity — and indeed this administration at large — is deliberate, strategic, and unapologetic in its efforts to elevate young people as full and equal participants in our country's economic life. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 'We are building institutional capacity — not only within government but across development finance institutions, skills training entities, and enterprise support agencies — to ensure that the path from entrepreneurial ambition to commercial success is clear, well-funded, and well-supported. Youth empowerment is not a symbolic gesture; it is an economic imperative,' said the Premier. He said the government recognised that when a young person is given access to capital, markets, mentorship, and an enabling policy environment, they are not only able to transform their own lives — they become engines of job creation, innovation, and social stability. 'We know that when a culture of entrepreneurship is actively cultivated among young people, it produces far-reaching dividends — not only for individuals but for the local, provincial, and national economy as a whole. When young entrepreneurs are empowered with skills, capital, and market access, they become conscious economic actors who drive productivity, generate livelihoods, and anchor resilient communities. 'The journey we are embarking on with you today must therefore not be seen as a short-term intervention but as a long-term strategic pathway. It is a pathway that must lead to your full integration into the broader economic fabric of KwaZulu-Natal — as entrepreneurs, job creators, innovators, and key contributors to the provincial GDP,' the Premier concluded. THE MERCURY
The Citizen
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
KZN premier summoned to appear before portfolio committee
KZN Premier Thami Ntuli has been summoned to appear before the Portfolio Committee on Office of the Premier, Community Safety and Liaison to give clarity on allegations that the youth manager in his office threatened to physically harm the former director general, Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize. Portfolio Committee chair Mbali Frazer alleges that Mkhize's crime was to refuse to sign off an appointment letter related to the R100-million Youth Fund. ALSO READ: Embattled KZN director-general resigns 'We believe it will be an abdication of our responsibility not to allow the premier of the province to address these serious allegations in an appropriate platform,' said Frazer. 'We have written a letter to him requesting him to appear before the committee. As the committee responsible for playing an oversight role over the executive, we believe such allegations warrant our attention. 'The Office of the Premier has a critical role to play in terms of the co-ordination of the work of provincial government departments on service delivery. The destabilisation of the Office of the Premier in any form, including threats to physically harm a senior female civil servant, should be viewed in a serious light by all leaders of society across all political affiliations,' she said. The ANC Youth League strongly condemns the actions of Premier Thami Ntuli for allegedly shielding perpetrators of violence, particularly gender-based violence (GBV), within his administration. ANCYL KZN Provincial Secretary Lulama Mabude said they are appalled by these allegations. 'We fully support the Youth Fund initiative established by the former ANC premier, Numusa Dube-Ncube, to empower young people to thrive in business and contribute meaningfully to the economy. 'However, we categorically reject the misuse of these funds to benefit non-compliant applicants or those selected based on political affiliation. 'We demand an immediate halt to this process and call for a transparent, merit-based review to ensure funds serve their intended purpose of uplifting KZN's youth,' said Mabude. She added that the youth manager in question is alleged to have pressured Mkhize to approve these funds to benefit his political allies and associates, undermining the integrity of the Youth Fund. 'We will not tolerate government officials perpetuating GBV and escaping accountability. 'South African women and youth live in constant fear due to harassment and abuse, and the premier's office has failed to address these serious allegations,' said Mabude. Attempts to obtain comment from the Office of the Premier were unsuccessful at the time of going to print. Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
12-06-2025
- IOL News
Gender-based violence allegations shake KwaZulu-Natal Premier's office after DG's resignation
Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize, the director-general in the Office of the Premier in KwaZulu-Natal resigned earlier this week. It has been alleged that her resignation came after a colleague threatened her. Image: KZN Provincial Government / Instagram The Office of the Premier in KwaZulu-Natal has been rocked by allegations of gender-based violence after the most senior civil service staff member in that office suddenly quit her post, allegedly after she was threatened by a male staffer. The chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on the Office of the Premier, Mbali Frazer, raised the issue. She has written to Premier Thami Ntuli demanding an explanation regarding the resignation of Director-General Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize, who resigned suddenly this week. Frazer said it was alleged that Mkhize quit after allegedly being subjected to verbal abuse and threatening conduct by a senior male staff member in that office. Attempts to contact Dr Mkhize were unsuccessful yesterday. The Premier's office acknowledged Dr Mkhize's resignation a few days ago but did not give a reason for her resignation. 'As the first female Director-General of KwaZulu-Natal, she leaves behind a powerful legacy of transformation, collaboration, and excellence in public service. Her ability to foster unity across both the political and administrative spheres will have a lasting impact on the governance of our province,' the statement from the Premier's office said. Committee chair Frazer said in a statement, 'In my capacity as the chair of the Portfolio Committee on the Office of the Premier, Community Safety and Liaison, I wish to inform the people of KwaZulu-Natal that we cannot ignore the widespread serious allegations levelled against a certain official in the Office of the Premier. 'It is alleged that a youth manager in the Office of the Premier threatened to physically harm the first and longest-serving female Director-General, Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize. Her crime was refusing to sign off on an appointment letter related to the R100 million Youth Fund,' said the statement. 'As the Portfolio Committee, we believe that it would be an abdication of our responsibility not to allow Premier Thami Ntuli to address these serious allegations on an appropriate platform. In this regard, we have written a letter to the Premier requesting him to appear before the committee. As the committee responsible for oversight over the executive, we believe that such allegations warrant our attention. Threats to physically harm a senior female civil servant should be viewed seriously by all leaders of society across all political affiliations,' said the statement. The Mercury has seen a letter sent to the Premier and the Portfolio Committee about the incident. The unsigned letter alleges that on May 20, the youth directorate section submitted documents for the award of the Youth Empowerment Fund; however, the letter was returned the same day as there were no supporting documents. It states that the documents had not been seen by the Director-General because the practice in her office is that staff vet the documents. They vetted the documents that had been sent and found them non-compliant and sent them back. However, the official who sent the document allegedly made accusatory remarks towards the Director-General. It further alleged that on June 4, there was a heated meeting between the Director-General and the official over the matter where Mkhize was allegedly threatened. The letter further claimed that the police were called, and Mkhize subsequently resigned. 'The DG ended up tendering her resignation, which was not her plan, due to fear for her safety and life. Her resignation was tendered due to the severe nature of threats, as well as the emotional and psychological trauma,' the letter claims.
