It's been a long day for newly-appointed premier, Thami Ntuli, but he stands up from the couch to greet me, hands stretched out in a warm welcome. The mark of a gentleman. I take to him immediately.
"Been a busy day, premier?" I ask as we settle on the comfy couch in his Durban office early evening. “Eish,” he replies, shaking his head.
"Comes with the territory," I reply as we both laugh, easing into each others company.
Ntuli was parachuted to the position of KZN Premier less than a month ago amid a flurry of political horse-trading. His Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) secured 18% of the vote in KZN, the second largest in the province after the uMkhonto weSizwe Party's (MK) 46% — which opted out of the Government of National Unity (GNU) — paving the way for his election in the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU).
He understands too well he bears the responsibility of political and economic stability in KZN. And it's a challenge he's prepared for.
So, who is he really?
"I was born in Nkandla where the very same man is coming from, less than 20 minutes away," he begins.
Very same man being, of course, former president and MKP leader Jacob Zuma.
Ntuli's childhood in Zululand was nothing out of the ordinary like most in his generation. He herded cattle on the plains of his Nkandla community, tried to stay in school and later struggled to finance his dream of studying teaching.
"I decided to find work because I couldn’t fund my studies. I had to find a way to support my family. I managed to get something at a local spaza shop where I worked as a cleaner then later I was promoted at the till because I was seen as trustworthy," he explains.
What comes next is unexpected and we both laugh at the incredulity of the story.
"My salary for being trustworthy on the till is that I was allowed to eat with the owners at the same table," explains Ntuli as he breaks out into a Zuma style laugh. No kidding. It must be an Nkandla trait.
There's a softness about his character as he tells the story of his upbringing in rural Zululand and how he persevered, against all odds, to fulfil his dreams. That ambitious grit must be an Nkandla thing.
Amidst the cattle herding and majestic Zululand sunrise and sunsets, dreams are born.
Despite not having the money to study teaching, the young Ntuli tutored learners and taught Life Sciences in schools where he turned around the pass rate in his subject. He loved teaching and loved the difference he made in deep rural communities.
Through distance learning whilst working, Ntuli obtained a Diploma in Education, and later an Honorary degree in Education Law and Management at the university of Pretoria. And all this while serving as a community and political activist under mentorship of the late IFP leader Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
With a background rooted in community activism and teaching, Ntuli wants to change lives, quickly, knowing only too well the hopes he's carrying on his shoulders.
After becoming premier, he thought he would be able to do that with speed.
But, reality has set in.
"Its a frustration to realise you have an opportunity to change lives but you don't have all the financial resources to do that.
“Budget constraints is a major issue in what we want to do. Part of it is because some financial decisions in the past were taken incorrectly which is impacting our vision for change. The financial situation of our government is not great. We have acting principals in schools, unpaid, contractors unpaid for more than six months, youth desperate for employment opportunities, and we need to find solutions," says Ntuli.
With KZN facing an R8 billion budget deficit especially in Health and Education, Ntuli has to come up - and fast, with solutions for a turnaround plan for the province. People are hungry and impatient for change. And political parties are eager to prove what they can bring to communities ahead of the local elections in two years. Its a race against time.
For Ntuli, it begins with stabilising the province first. "We need stability. Once we have that, we can begin to unlock opportunities and create that environment for investors to feel confident about our province. We also need to reprioritise our funding. We have to relook at how and where we are spending. The days of spending anyhow is over. We need to put money where its needed, not where its wanted, that's the difference," adds Ntuli.
Among the key interventions being planned is to plug the vacancy gaps in Health and Education to address the human capacity challenges. Ntuli also plans to crack down on spending of MECs’ overseas junkets, travel stipends and wasteful spending on unnecessary events. The plan, he says, is to redirect spending patterns to critical areas of need.
"But we also need to look at possible revenue sources. We need to get the revenue due to government reaching our coffers so there is less dependency on national government," he adds.
"What about lifestyle audits?" I ask. Its long been touted by the ANC and called for by opposition parties but has never really taken off.
Ntuli chooses his words carefully.
"It's the right thing to do, but we have not had that discussion yet. But it's a very important one. We must talk about it when we are prepared to do it. And we will... we must," he says, almost trying to convince himself.
Turning to the issue of land, Ntuli is unapologetic about his party's pre election promise: to ensure underutilised and vacant land is put to use to benefit the people of KZN.
"We currently have land under the Ngonyama Trust, under the government and then land owned by the private sector. We are not subscribing to expropriation without compensation. We are subscribing to expropriation with compensation. What needs to happen first is a complete audit of land in the province and then determine its use. Primarily we need land for commercial use so that we can attract investors. It’s a dialogue we will begin once there is stability in our administration," he adds.
“We are not subscribing to expropriation without compensation. We are subscribing to expropriation with compensation.”
The 50-year-old married father of five has his work cut out.
And he's only just begun. Balancing the wish list of his party, satisfying his Government of Provincial Unity partners and trying to speed up desperately needed service delivery is not an easy feat. But, he's new in his role. Driven. Passionate about change. And a self-confessed people's person.
"I love people. I spend time with people. We must as government be close to people on the ground to understand their needs, not in offices," he says in parting.
“Wise words from a leader, but let's talk again in six months,” I reply. “You may have enough of seeing people all the time and may prefer the company of cattle,” I joke.
We both laugh at this as we end the interview.
A people's person for sure. Politicians all start off that way.
Time will tell.
IOL