Nearly a decade later and with R38,5 million already spent, the only thing to show for the provincial government’s Bhisho Precinct pipedream is a patch of vacant land and empty promises. The staggering amount already spent on this failed project was revealed in response to a parliamentary question from the Democratic Alliance, by Premier Oscar Mabuyane. Download Response This catalytic project would see seven provincial departments that currently rent office …
Read More
Ambulance shortages will cost lives over Easter
April 13th, 2022
Severe ambulance shortages, short-staffed emergency medical services and no apparent plans in place for temporary air ambulance services all cast doubts on the Department of Health’s ability to deal with emergencies over the Easter Holidays. The increase in road accidents and other trauma cases over the Easter holiday period is well documented, but despite promising to take steps to boost paramedic and ambulance numbers in the Eastern Cape Province, the …
Read More
Dramatic spike in kidnappings across Eastern Cape
April 13th, 2022
There has been a dramatic spike in kidnappings across the Eastern Cape, with cases rising over 20% year on year. In light of this, I am appealing to the public to be extremely vigilant when it comes to their and others’ personal safety and am calling on SAPS to increase visible patrols in hotspot areas. In the ten months between April 2021 and January 2022, there were 514 cases of …
Read More
The Department of Water and Sanitation has revealed that not one of the 14 Water Service Authorities (WSA) in the Eastern Cape qualified for green drop certification. The latest Green Grop report revealed that the overall provincial risk ratio has regressed from 66.7% (medium risk) in 2013 to 72.3% (high risk) in 2021. The risk assessment is based on an audit of the 14 WSA delivering wastewater services through a …
Read More
Nearly half of the Eastern Cape’s drinking water is at risk, with the Department of Water and Sanitation saying some systems are so severely compromised they have been flagged as critical risks, where water safety for consumers cannot be guaranteed. This is according to the latest Blue Drop report, the first of its kind to be released in nearly a decade. The report paints a devastatingly bleak picture of failing …
Read More