Politically this has been an exceptionally good year for the Democratic Alliance.  In the municipal elections the DA’s support rocketed in the Eastern Cape, going from 100 councillors to 178.  We made major breakthroughs in many areas where we never had representation before, particularly in eight more municipalities in the former Transkei. Internationally, the shadow [...]

DA acting provincial health spokesperson, John Cupido, gets tested as part of the party’s awareness campaign against HIV/Aids. In this spirit of World Aids Day, DA provincial MPLs and staff took HIV tests on Wednesday during the sitting of the Eastern Cape Legislature. The Democratic Alliance urges all members of the community to be aware [...]

DA councillor William Ward and activists Josephine Kani, Donovon Gysman, Zolani Bakawuli and Nolwazi Cofa from the Amathole constituency office of the DA visited the Sivenathi Centre in Fort Beaufort on 1 December to commemorate World Aids Day. DA Councillors and activists brightened the lives of children at the Sivenathi Centre for Disabled and HIV/AIDS-children [...]

Making a difference, a force for change Veliswa Mvenya, MPL I am proud to have resolved queries for our voters this year but I will mention those that I think touched my heart most: There are traffic officers who worked in the former Transkei who were underpaid by the Department of Transport.  They have been [...]

Light moment…DA education spokesperson Edmund van Vuuren takes a breather in a sleeping unit supplied to exhausted markers at the Matric Marking Centre in Mthatha. The DA has embarked on the monitoring of matric marking at the fifteen marking centres in the province, as well as the correct capturing of marks. We will be particularly [...]

There are three reasons why the Democratic Alliance is opposed to this year’s Adjustments Appropriation Bill. The province lost R400 million that could have been rolled over that wasn’t rolled over due to incapacity to spend. The shifts from Capital and goods and services to cover over expenditure on personnel (costs COE). The R27.5 million [...]

The recent legislature to the people event in Cofimvaba has raised a number of questions in the minds of many people. Is it a waste of money? Is it authentic? Is it necessary? The Democratic Alliance believes that there is definitely a place for public participation in the affairs of the legislature but certainly not [...]

Edmund van Vuuren and Bobby Stevenson relaxing during a teambuilding session in Port Alfred recently. The threat of a strike by Sadtu members which is to coincide with the writing of the final Senior Certificate examinations on Friday and other final grade examinations will have a lasting, devastating effect, especially on Grade 12 learners. The [...]

Bobby Stevenson reflects on the challenges facing the province on the road to the general election in 2014 during a recent teambuilding session in Port Alfred A picture of shoddy law enforcement in the Chris Hani district come to the fore during the “Taking Legislature to the People” sitting in Cofimvaba. The legislature’s oversight committee [...]

Dacre Haddon with secretaries Eve Viol and Tessa Botha in Port Alfred. This year’s “Legislature to the People” in Cofimvaba in the Chris Hani District municipality again highlighted the need for resolutions made by the legislature to be fulfilled. I made two speeches on reports on local government and the other on housing which reflected [...]