Libraries at risk of collapse as funding delayed
October 14th, 2020Libraries across the province, which serve as cornerstones for reading and learning, are at risk of permanent closure as much needed funding has been delayed by a broken bureaucratic system. Not one municipality in the province has received their 2020/2021 library subsidies from the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC). These subsidies total R73,9 million. DSRAC MEC, Fezeka Bayeni, in response to a parliamentary question, said the delays …
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Ten years have passed and more than R24 million spent on upgrading the Butterworth Swimming pool that has, to date, still not opened its doors to the public. The swimming pool has become a bottomless money pit, with the costs for the upgrade more than doubling from the initial R10,1 million initially quoted. This is just one more mismanaged project in a province that is drowning in maladministration and corruption. …
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The Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture must urgently intervene and assist the many sportsmen and women, as well as artists and entertainers in the province, who qualify for relief funding. This follows the announcement by Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, has set up a relief fund, with R150 million allocated, to assist those affected by the lockdown. The sporting and cultural sector has …
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Magwa and Majola Tea Estates in financial trouble, again
December 3rd, 2019 The Magwa and Majola Tea Estates are proving to be an ongoing drain on the Eastern Cape’s finances, providing no return for the hundreds of millions of rands of taxpayers’ money that have been sunk into the estates for decades. These tea estates are sucking the lifeblood out of the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform’s funding, which could be far better spent on supporting drought relief for viable …
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DA calls for prioritisation of sport in Eastern Cape
October 24th, 2019 The Democratic Alliance tabled a notice of motion calling for the eastern Cape Government to ensure that Sport is prioritised in the Province, and that sportsmen and women are given the necessary support to complete at a national and international level. The Eastern Cape is hailed as the Home of Legends and has produced incredible sportsmen and women who continue to be a beacon of hope and serve as ambassadors …
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Dr Beyers Naude Municipality shuts down libraries
February 3rd, 2019 The failing ANC government has shown that it has no interest in providing their communities with much needed resources to help give the people a fighting chance of securing jobs and improving their education. This after the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality announced that it would be closing all 12 of their libraries from Monday, 4 February, because the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture has failed to pay …
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DRDAR: Dutywa Agri-park “irreparable”
January 30th, 2019 The Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform have said that the vandalism of the Dutwya Agri-park has caused irreparable damage to infrastructure. The fact that the Dutywa Agri-park has been allowed to be vandalised to such an extent that it is inoperable, has thrown emerging farmers to the wolves. DRDAR MEC Xolile Nqatha must account as to how officials could allow a valuable asset like this to degenerate to …
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Further drought could cripple Eastern Cape farmers
November 14th, 2018 The Eastern Cape is facing the possibility of deepening drought conditions that could decimate an already crippled Eastern Cape agricultural system. I will be writing to the MEC of Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Xolile Nqatha, to request details on what plans, if any, they have put in place to assist farmers in the face of an extended drought, as well as what steps they are taking to …
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DSRAC fails community libraries
October 31st, 2018 The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture has failed dismally in meeting its targets for its community libraries programme in the province. The recently tabled 2017/18 Annual Report shows that of the 10 000 additional curriculum learner support materials that were supposed to be purchased to assist learners, the department only managed to purchase 296. That is 9 733 less than their intended target. The department further failed to …
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Failure of Wi-Fi rollout at libraries depriving communities of opportunity
September 28th, 2018 The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture is failing in the roll-out Wi-Fi services to libraries across the province, despite having been responsible for the implementation thereof for more than a year now. This lack of implementation is taking opportunities away from communities that are most in need, who cannot afford the high cost of data and rely on public access to the internet. The shift to digital is …
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