The DA Eastern Cape MPLs and their secretaries in Bhisho deal with queries from the public on a daily basis. Eve Viol, secretary of Dacre Haddon and John Cupido, says:  “I just have files and files of people looking for houses, people being given the wrong house, people complaining about housing, bridges collapsing, and potholes [...]

The Members of the DA Eastern Cape Legislature Caucus attended a seminar by leadership guru Robin Sharma on 25July in Cape Town.  “It is part of my leadership vision to expose our MPLs and staff to top speakers and information that can assist in their personal growth. If one wants to grow and develop an [...]

The Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape has formed another new constituency in the province. As a result of huge increased DA-support in the province, council representation in Buffalo City increased from 11 to 21 councillors following the municipal elections earlier this year. In the past, Buffalo City formed the main part of the Amathole [...]

The task of holding the ANC accountable has been made easier thanks to the increased number of councillors in the former Transkei area after the municipal elections on 18 May, says DA MPL Veliswa Mvenya. “Since they are new councillors, it is imperative that they are empowered.  The Bhisho caucus visited them in Mthatha recently [...]

On Monday, the 11th July 2011, the Eastern Cape Bhisho Caucus (ECBC) met with the Buffalo City Metropolitan (BCM) as the beginning leg of the ECBC’s Outreach Programme to meet with as many DA caucuses in the EC and to explain the role of the Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) and how we can [...]

Recently the media released an expose that revealed the terrible conditions that patients in the Komani Psychiatric Hospital were expected to endure. Patients were expected to sleep on filthy sponge mattresses directly on the floor in Queenstown of all places, with sub-zero temperatures during winter.   Patients were also expected to wear rags and in many [...]

Dutywa’s Govan Mbeki village consists of a field of 200 toilets without a single house being built. The site is a playground for vandals. The Mbashe Municipality claims the money was “used for something else” and the contractor is long-gone. Oom Gov would have been shocked. The frustration for a shack dweller to see the [...]

Accountability lies at the heart of both the province’s problems and solutions. At the start of a newly elected term for local government this value needs to be foremost on our minds. Accountable government means that we are committed to improving service delivery and the optimal utilization of resources. It’s about having a work- and [...]

Speaking in the provincial legislature last week, Bobby Stevenson DA Legislature Leader and Spokesperson on Finance outlined reasons why the DA was not prepared to support the 2011/12 provincial budget: The DA has a number of concerns in relation to this budget of R52, 643 billion which brings into being the credibility of some of [...]

Following the last round of schools visits and the discussion thereof in the Legislature last week the DA stated that reports were gathering dust regardless of resolutions and recommendations made by the House. In his speech DA provincial spokesperson for education Edmund van Vuuren said: “We have been visiting schools throughout the province for the [...]