AG Report casts spotlight on EC local government failings
July 2nd, 2020
Auditor-General (AG) Kimi Makwetu’s latest report on the Audit Outcomes for Local Government is the clearest message yet that Local Government in the Eastern Cape is collapsing. Not only have 13 municipalities reports worsened compared to the previous year, only one municipality in the entire province received a clean audit! These poor audit outcomes are as a result of the continuing looting of municipalities, corruption and maladministration, as well as …
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The Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality (DBNLM) is descending into financial chaos, with residents facing the very real possibility of being overcharged for rates and services, that may then have to be voided by the municipality, as the budget processes have been severely flawed. The municipality is of the opinion that the budget has been passed, but nothing could be further from the truth! Not only will this have dire …
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Department of Health fails Fort England Covid-19 response
June 30th, 2020
The Fort England Psychiatric Hospital, in Makhanda, has a full 40 bed unit to accommodate patients who test positive for Covid-19, but not a single professional nurse to work in it. This was revealed in an oversight visit conducted by myself and my colleague, Shadow Minister of Health Siviwe Gwarube, MP, from the National Assembly. The hospital management has made an impressive effort to rearrange the space available to create …
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The drastic water cuts on extraction from the Kouga Dam that are expected to come into effect from tomorrow, could be a devastating for Gamtoos Valley Farmers. The Democratic Alliance has reliably learnt that the Department of Water and Sanitation has cut the normal water allocation for agricultural use from the Kouga Dam by 80%. The 20% that is left over, which farmers can still extract, will not be sufficient …
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Uitenhage Provincial Hospital is severely underfunded
June 28th, 2020
The Uitenhage Provincial Hospital has been severely underfunded, because the Department of Health has incorrectly allocated funds to it as a district hospital, when it is, in fact, officially gazetted as a regional hospital. This is an unnecessary bureaucratic nightmare in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Wards stand empty at Uitenhage Provincial, while other hospitals across the metro have become overcrowded battlegrounds against the disease. The hospital is supposed …
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