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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R49 Million spent on “Critical” Bhisho precinct, with no tangible results
November 21st, 2018
The Department of Public Works has blown through R49-million on the anticipated Bhisho Precinct, which is aimed at alleviating the issue of office space for several provincial departments, but has nothing to show for it. In the interim, while the tender process for the precinct is plagued by delays, the provincial government is currently spending in excess of R238 million a year on office rental. I will be asking follow-up …
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Secure our oceans, before it’s too late
November 20th, 2018
Tomorrow (21 November 2018) marks World Fisheries Day – a day meant to create awareness for our oceans and their precious resources. The Eastern Cape has the potential to be a leading player in this sector by supporting small scale fishing operations and securing our waters from foreign fishing vessels, but we need to ensure compliance with legislation. While Fisheries is a national competency the Eastern Cape MEC for Department …
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Children’s development not a priority in the Eastern Cape
November 20th, 2018
As the world marks Universal Children’s Day (20 November 2018), there are close to one million children under the age of five in the Eastern Cape who will not be able to access fully functional early childhood development centres (ECD’s) because the Department of Social Development is dragging its heels. These children are being deprived of the very foundation that would help lift them out of institutionalised poverty and provide …
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Children denied new schools as Department fails to pay contractors
November 19th, 2018 The Department of Public Works owes contractors attending to the upgrading and construction of schools in the Eastern Cape in excess of R 104 million, which has led to the suspension and imminent suspension of 37 school projects. The Department also owes consultants on these projects a further R9 million. This means learners continue to suffer in overcrowded classrooms, prefabricated structures that reach boiling point in summer and generally poor …
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