A breaking news post that will appear at the top of the queue on the front page of the website.
The Special Adjustments Appropriation passed by the Eastern Cape Legislature today offers the people of the Eastern Cape no hope at all. What should have been a budget to support and guide our people through the worst health and economic crisis that have ever faced this country has become a box-ticking exercise for bureaucrats. At a time when the government should be pulling out all the stops to assist those …
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Eastern Cape farmers are being bled dry by brazen stock thieves. While other crimes might have declined during the government’s lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a massive surge in stock theft across the province. This is dealing a crippling blow to the already struggling agricultural sector. In response to a parliamentary question, MEC Weziwe Tikana Gqothiwe, revealed that, from 27 March until 22 June, 5 …
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The crime statistics released today show that the bloody wave of violent crime continues to sweep through the Eastern Cape, bringing little hope to residents who continue to live in fear of the criminal element that stalks our communities. Despite bucking the national trend in murders, with a slight decrease of 2,2% year on year, 3 879 people still lost their lives at the hands of criminals in the province. …
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The drastic water cuts on extraction from the Kouga Dam that are expected to come into effect from tomorrow, could be a devastating for Gamtoos Valley Farmers. The Democratic Alliance has reliably learnt that the Department of Water and Sanitation has cut the normal water allocation for agricultural use from the Kouga Dam by 80%. The 20% that is left over, which farmers can still extract, will not be sufficient …
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The Clinics in the Northern Areas of Nelson Mandela Bay are in crisis, with the clinic in Helenvale closed for over a year and a half due to the violent crime in the area. This has had a catastrophic knock on effect on the Malabar clinic, that has seen its case load double as Helenvale residents turn to them for help. This was revealed during an oversight inspection I conducted …
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Urgent intervention is needed as Eastern Cape municipalities begin pushing unrealistic budgets through their councils, with rates and tariff increases far above inflation. This comes at a time when ratepayers and consumers are under immense financial pressure, due to the extended lockdown measures imposed on them by national government. If municipalities insist on trying to squeeze blood out of a stone, they are going to face a significant backlash and …
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Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature meetings could be deemed unconstitutional and the decisions taken therein overturned if they are not opened to the public. I have written to the Speaker, Helen Sauls August, in relation to her press release of 5 May, where she highlighted the fact that the Legislature is conducting its business through virtual meetings and is accessible to the media and civil society organisations. Download Letter. The Democratic …
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The apparent inflated prices for food parcels distributed by SASSA in the Eastern Cape is extremely worrying, with an estimated R16-million or more skimmed off the top of the R48 million made available. This comes on top of allegations of political bias in the distribution of food parcels made available. A preliminary investigation, based on the standardised list of content per SASSA food parcel, has revealed that the Department of …
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The Democratic Alliance welcomes the announcement that the Health Portfolio Committee of the Eastern Cape Legislature will be meeting virtually tomorrow for the first time. This follows after I wrote to the Speaker of the Legislature, Helen Sauls-August, last week, to point out that the rules of the House make provision for meetings to take place via other platforms, and request that the portfolio meetings continue during lockdown using video …
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The Democratic Alliance Legislature team welcomes Kobus Botha, who was officially sworn in as a DA member of the sixth term of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature this afternoon, 5 March 2020. Kobus previously served as a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature during the fifth term, and returns to the position of MPL, having served as a councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay since the 2019 elections, …
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