Failing ANC has no plan to combat unemployment
February 12th, 2019
It is clear that the failing ANC has no solution to the combat the rising unemployment in the Eastern Cape, which is stealing the bread off the tables of the people. This after the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, released by Stats SA today, showed that unemployment in the province continued to rise, with the fourth quarter up by 0.5%, from 35.6% to 36.1%. The Eastern Cape also has the highest …
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Kirkwood police station holding cells out of action
February 6th, 2019
The holding cells at the Kirkwood police station have been standing unused since May last year, according to information that was brought to my attention, diverting much needed police resources away from the communities they are meant to serve. Vehicles now have to be dispatched to the Addo holding cells, over 40km away, to transport suspects. This was confirmed after I conducted an unannounced oversight inspection at the Kirkwood police …
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Orchard theft continues to plague Addo farmers
February 4th, 2019
I recently met with a number of farmers in the Addo area who are once again having their orchards plundered by what is suspected to be a highly sophisticated criminal syndicate. The farmers informed me, Sundays River Caucus Leader councillor Karen Smith, and DA councillor Laticia Erasmus, that the scale of this plundering is running into millions of rands. The farmers are frustrated with the ability of the local Addo …
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MEC of Health gets a new car for Christmas
December 6th, 2018 The MEC of Health has been gifted a brand-new car of just under a million rand as part of the Eastern Cape Adjustment Budget passed in the Legislature today [SUBS: 6 December 2018]. Part of the adjustments for the Department of Health includes R901,000 for a new vehicle for the MEC, whereas we can only afford to spend R325,000 on wheelchairs, hearing aids, and orthotics. SEE Extract from Provincial Treasury …
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Poor governance and bigger wage bill hits the Eastern Cape hard
November 22nd, 2018
The Hill of Hope that MEC for Finance, Oscar Mabuyane, referred to in his adjustments budget, tabled in the EC legislature this afternoon, is just an illusion. It is in fact the slippery slope of poor governance. This is well illustrated by the R3,014 billion in equitable share that we will lose in 2021/2022 financial year due to the number of people who are leaving the province. Bad governance does …
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A year later and still no action against civil servants on extended sick leave
November 22nd, 2018
A year and R121,6 million later, and still no real action has been taken to address the issue of extended sick leave in the Eastern Cape. In fact, the response to the parliamentary question on why the Premier’s Office has allowed situation for such a long time is almost identical to the response given a year ago. This shows that there is simply no political will to tackle this problem! …
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Millions wasted on food, consultants while service delivery stalls
November 8th, 2018 At a time when the economy is in a technical recession, government spending should be geared towards service delivery and job creation. However, a review of the Eastern Cape Government Departments annual reports for the 2017/18 financial year shows that at least R1,4 billion is being spent on non-core business such as catering, consultants, transport and accommodation. On many occasions the province has committed itself to belt tightening exercises and …
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Premier drags his feet on filling critical Safety Department post
November 5th, 2018 The Department of Safety and Liaison has not had a permanent Head of Department for a year and a half, as the Eastern Cape Premier, Phumulo Masualle, is dilly-dallying with regards to filling the post. Shamefully the Premier has apparently deemed it unnecessary to have someone in charge of the Department, responsible for oversight of the South African Police Service and Community Policing in the Eastern Cape. Failure to fill …
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Sexual predators preying on children in the Eastern Cape
November 1st, 2018 Children in the Eastern Cape are falling prey to vicious sexual predators, making up half of all sexual offences’ victims in the province in last financial year. This outrageous figure is a sad indictment of the utter collapse of the moral fabric of our society. We all need to band together to turn the tide. In a response to a parliamentary question, Safety and Liaison MEC, Weziwe Tikana, said that …
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Eastern Cape unemployment bloodbath continues
October 30th, 2018 The Quarterly Labour Force Survey, released by Stats SA today, shows how the Eastern Cape economy is continuing to fail, along with the job’s bloodbath. This means thousands of families across the province will struggle to put food on the table, pay for medication and schooling for their loved ones. The fight to just survive in the Eastern Cape is getting harder. The third quarter statistics show the Eastern Cape’s …
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