The ANC has shown that it is stuck in an ideological straitjacket and will not embrace new ideas to take the province forward, even if those ideas will make a positive change in the lives of the people of the Eastern Cape. Last Thursday several motions of the DA were debated in the EC Legislature that would make a positive change to the lives of the residents of the province. …
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The Democratic Alliance has referred the Eastern Cape Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) to the SA Human Rights Commission, after it issued an irregular tender that excludes minorities from tendering, which is unconstitutional. The tender in question, issued by DPWI in September this year, is for the Appointment of Professional Land Surveyors for the survey of Provincial State Land, which states that ‘only tenderers who are 100% black-owned, …
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THE DPW’s PERSISTENT IDENTITY CRISIS HAMPERING EFFECTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE DELIVERY IN THE EC The DPWI must re-configure the way it does business with client departments to avoid failure on contracts due to non-payment. A land-Invasion Unit must be established in the Eastern Cape as there is no plan to deal with the illegal invasion of land belonging to DPWI. Critical Skills Vacancies hampering the capacity of the DPWI. Honourable Speaker, Honourable …
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The stark reality of how exhausted our healthcare workers really are was brought home in an emotional oversight visit to Livingstone and Provincial hospitals in Nelson Mandela Bay last week, conducted by myself and DA leader in the provincial legislature, Bobby Stevenson. The Eastern Cape Department of Health urgently needs assistance from other provincial departments, most notably Social Development and Public Works, if it is to make it through the …
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Premier Oscar Mabuyane can no longer lament the state of collapsing local government in the Eastern Cape. He must stop wringing his hands and take firm action. On Thursday last week [4 February 2021] the Shadow MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Vicky Knoetze MPL, moved a motion in the provincial legislature’s sitting, to force the hand of the province and take decisive action. Motion attached Our challenge to …
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The Democratic Alliance (DA) strongly condemns the utterances made by COGTA MEC, Xolile Nqatha, at the memorial service of the late Buffalo City Metro Speaker, Alfred Mtsi. The MEC’s comments highlight the extent to which the Eastern Cape has become the epicentre of corruption, and how the lack of consequence management is spreading like the virus. In the video circulating on social media MEC Nqatha is clearly heard stating, in …
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Residents of Butterworth continue to face a daily struggle for water, despite promises by Eastern Cape Premier Phumulo Masualle in his State of the Province Address (Sopa) in February of a budget allocation of R1-billion for the province for drought mitigation – which included the drilling of additional boreholes and desilting of dams. For the speech extract click here Premier Phumulo Masualle Sopa 2017 speech extract The area’s Gcuwa- …
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The Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape received a petition from residents of Nieu-Bethesda regarding the condition of the provincial road leading into the town. This week I submitted the petition to the Petitions Committee of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature for investigation. The tourist town of Nieu-Bethesda in the Dr Beyers Naude Municipality is only accessible by way of two provincial dirt roads. The primary road, from the N9, …
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It was reported in the media today that an R81-million rand tender to supply Mayibuye Transport Corporation with buses was awarded to a firm that did not meet the requirements and was registered months before the contract was awarded. When the story of this tender manipulation first emerged on 23 January 2016, I tabled a question for written reply to the MEC of Transport. Question 416, IQP 49 It is …
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