The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) desperately needs to step in and address the water crisis unfolding in Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) due to the incompetence of the Amatola Water Board. Residents of the Metro are facing the very real possibility of dry taps, and while it is the municipality’s responsibility to purify the water and distribute it, this cannot be done if the DWA does ensure that there is …


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Dit is reeds meer as ‘n maand sedert die Nasionale Rampbestuursentrum die droogte tot nasionale ramp verklaar het. Nogtans, ten spyte van talle versoeke deur die Demokratiese Alliansie (DA) dat Premier Oscar Mabuyane daadwerklik moet optree, het die Oos-Kaapse regering nog niks gedoen om droogtegeteisterde boere by te staan nie. Dit is bykans onmoontlik om te glo dat die Oos-Kaapse regering steeds verkies om anderpad te kyk – selfs nadat …


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It has been a month since the National Disaster Management Centre last month classified the ongoing Eastern Cape drought as a National Disaster. Yet, despite the calls from the Democratic Alliance for Premier Oscar Mabuyane to act, nothing has been done by provincial government to assist our farmers. It is simply incomprehensible that, even when the crisis that our farmers have been facing since 2015 is acknowledged as a national …


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Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane must declare the Eastern Cape a provincial disaster area as soon as possible, now that the national classification has taken place. The prolonged drought has been recognised as a national disaster by the National Disaster Management Centre, and the Eastern Cape government can no longer ignore the water crisis that is unfolding in the province. See Gazette Government must put measures in place to declare …


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The Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, must act with haste to secure national funding for our drought-stricken farmers and municipalities, now that the ongoing drought has been declared a national disaster. This is a victory for long-suffering farmers and residents who have joined us in the fight to have the province declared a drought disaster area. There is now no more room for excuses from the Premier. Dr Mmaphaka Tau, …


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The residents of Nelson Mandela Bay have been left to fend for themselves during the most debilitating drought on record, as the ANC-led national government has refused to accept its drought disaster application. Without a drought disaster area declaration much needed funding, for critical drought mitigation projects that would ensure residents have access to water, cannot be obtained and the projects cannot be completed. When it suits the ANC, billions …


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The Democratic Alliance welcomes the announcement by Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, that the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) will submit a request to the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) to declare the Nelson Mandela Bay and Sarah Baartman District Municipalities a drought disaster area. Premier Oscar Mabuyane made this pronouncement in response to formal questions posed to him by the Democratic Alliance in relation to the extended drought in …


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The Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury has launched an investigation into the alleged reckless lending practices of the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA). This follows after the Democratic Alliance exposed how the ECDRA’s practice of granting unsecured loans at ridiculously low interest rates has led to millions of Rands being lost. Given the parlous state of public finances, reckless lending practises by state entities is criminal and has to be …


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The Democratic Alliance cannot support a budget that does not take steps to address the challenges within the collapsing Health Department, or make provision to address the ongoing debilitating drought in the province. The Department of Health has already blown through 16% of its new budget, spending R4,3 billion on paying suppliers for services delivered in the previous financial year. The growing accruals, alongside the ever-escalating medico-legal claims, up R6 …


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The Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform’s (DRDAR) ban on game meat processing outside of an abattoir could kill off the hunting industry in the Eastern Cape. A recent letter addressed to all game farms and abattoirs in the province, noted with concern that game farms were dressing game meat for human and animal consumption outside of an abattoir, and instructed them to stop or face prosecution. Download letter …


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