NOMUSA Dube-Ncube has been sworn in as KwaZulu-Natal’s new premier following a special sitting of the provincial legislature on Wednesday.
Dube-Ncube was chosen as the ANC’s preferred candidate to take the positin on Monday after the sudden resignation of former premier Sihle Zikalala.
Born in KwaMashu, Dube-Ncube has a Master’s degree in Public Administration and she currently completing her Ph.D. She served as the speaker of the eThekwini Municipality before being assigned to the foreign mission as Ambassador to the Czech Republic.
She was previously with the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs. Dube-Ncube also served as Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC for 10 years. She currently serves as Finance MEC.
Dube-Ncube is the first female premier to be elected to lead KwaZulu-Natal since 1994.
Commenting on becoming the first female Premier in KwaZulu-Natal, Dube-Ncube said as women, they don’t take for granted the fact that they have made history.
“The whole country is celebrating the fact that the ANC [African National Congress] has made a conscious decision to ensure that the sixth premier, under its banner, is a female,” Dube-Ncube said.
She said the province of KwaZulu-Natal will continue to be steadfast in implementing set-asides targeting women, the youth, and people with disabilities in specific industries.
Delivering the State of the Province Address in February 2022, former Premier Zikalala insisted that the KwaZulu-Natal Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan must put women and the youth at the centre of rebuilding back and better.
In this regard, Dube-Ncube said the province undertook to ensure that in the next window of Operation Vula Funding, no less than 50% should go to fund women-owned enterprises with the potential of job creation
“Through our successful implementation of export-led growth, the Black Industrialist Programme, the KZN Youth Empowerment Fund initiative, and the Radical Socio-Economic Transformation (RASET), we seek to create more economic empowerment opportunities for black women and black youth in KwaZulu-Natal.
“We are determined to pursue our vision of mainstreaming gender equality and that by 2024, at least 50% of public procurement should go to women-owned enterprises,” Dube-Ncube said
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