I want to thank the DA community for their support during my medical disability in 2011. I confirm that I am back and available. My new portfolios in the legislature are 1) Roads and Public Works. 2) Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture. I will once again be focussing on the maintenance of roads in the [...]

The Democratic Alliance calls for speedy revision of the proposed Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency Bill to ensure that the natural resources in the province can be utilised more efficiently. The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture was informed this week – a day before the Bill was due to be introduced on in the Eastern Cape [...]

Premier: *1. Mr C H Maxegwana to ask the Premier: (1) (a) How many Government officials were placed on suspension with pay from 1 April 2010 up to and including the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) what total amount in salaries and benefits was paid out to these officials in [...]

“They must just make sure those people are brought to book. They must follow up on the criminal cases.” — Pine Pienaar FRAUD and corruption have cost the provincial Health Department a whopping R45 million in the past three years. The biggest case – amounting to R18m – directly links eight officials to tender procurement [...]

It’s not in my nature to give publicity to people who do not deserve it. But when it comes to the South African commercial farming community and the fact that they are increasingly finding themselves under fire, I’ll make an exception. Last year the ANC Youth Leader, Julius Malema, said in Zimbabwe that his party [...]

“How many babies must die before the Eastern Cape Health Department gets its act together?”.  — Pine Pienaar THE East London Hospital Complex (ELHC) has come under fire for its failure to notify health authorities of a serious infection outbreak at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital (CMH). A record number of infants died at the hospital in [...]

The Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape is shocked to hear that 29 babies died in January at the CecIlia Makiwane Hospital in East London. This is not the first time that such an unnecessary loss of life has occurred in the Eastern Cape. I had asked the Department of Health previously to put in [...]

According to Eastern Cape DA health spokesman, Pine Pienaar, “a mere 26% of the province’s R13.5-billion budget was allocated to health work itself”. WHILE all four of the Bay’s hospitals have had their budgets increase with inflation in recent years, top officials in the department admit this is not enough, as they are overspending by [...]

DA spokesman for health Pine Pienaar welcomed the decision. “More people can be helped at clinics, which in turn takes some pressure off provincial hospitals.” NELSON Mandela Bay’s primary health care will soon be in the hands of the local municipality, a move that some believe could spark a turnaround in health in the province. [...]