No cancer meds for children at PE Provincial
May 19th, 2023
Children with cancer at the Provincial Hospital in Gqeberha cannot receive life-saving chemotherapy treatments because the Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDoH) has not paid the supplier in full. This is extremely traumatic for the children involved and heartbreaking for parents who have to watch their children dying in front of them. I am outraged by this Department’s heartless actions. The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to the Head of …
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No textbooks, no libraries, no wonder they can’t read
May 18th, 2023
Eight out of ten children in grade four are unable to read for meaning, which is hardly surprising when the Department of Education cannot even provide them with adequate textbooks or libraries. The latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) revealed that a staggering 81% of grade four learners are unable to read for meaning. It also revealed that grade six learners from the Eastern Cape were the worst-performing …
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NPO funding delayed, despite MEC’s assurances
May 17th, 2023
Several Eastern Cape Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) have still not heard whether their applications for funding from the Department of Social Development (DSD) for the financial year have been successful. The lack of certainty as to whether funding would be received has delayed the rollout of critical social welfare services to older persons, victims of Gender Based Violence, children, and families. This is despite Social Development MEC Bukiwe Fanta categorically stating …
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Steps need to be taken to prevent jobshedding
May 16th, 2023
The Democratic Alliance welcomes the resilience of the private sector in the Eastern Cape for the 41 000 jobs created under extremely adverse conditions in the last quarter. It is, however, incumbent on the provincial government to develop a clear action plan to avoid job losses and prevent Eskom’s deepening power cuts from wiping out these recent gains. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for January to March 2023 shows …
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The recent murders of two South African Police Service (SAPS) members highlight the urgency for a better plan to deal with violent crime, especially in Nelson Mandela Bay, which has become a hotspot. The existing 72-hour activation plan has generally proven to be futile and has failed to bring these criminals to justice. The sad reality is that criminals have become a law unto themselves, treating the province as the …
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