A watershed ruling to have the Makana Municipality dissolved, handed down in January this year, has come back into effect after Judge Igna Stretch dismissed the application by the Provincial Government and the Municipality for leave to appeal the ruling, with costs. In the judgement handed down late yesterday afternoon, Judge Stretch found that there were no reasonable prospects that the appeal would succeed. This ruling means the original order …
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Critical multi-million water infrastructure project in Raymond Mhlaba abandoned during crippling drought
May 21st, 2020
A recent oversight visit to the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality has revealed that critical water infrastructure projects, started more than two years ago, have been abandoned, half built, with the sites left hazardous and unsafe for surrounding communities. Contractors for these debacles should be blacklisted, and the province must sue them for non-performance. We need to start enforcing accountability! In response to a parliamentary question regarding the reservoirs, MEC for …
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Eastern Cape municipalities in free fall, amalgamation not the answer
February 28th, 2020 This week, the MEC of COGTA, Xolile Nqatha, confirmed that he had approached national government for funds to bailout 14 unsustainable, bankrupt Eastern Cape municipalities. He also mentioned that provincial government was considering amalgamating these failing municipalities with more successful institutions. Amalgamating municipalities is simply a smokescreen, instead of taking decisive action, the MEC is kicking the can down the road. It is also highly unlikely that these municipalities will …
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DA calls for stringent monitoring of grant funding in EC municipalities
February 27th, 2020
The Democratic Alliance is calling for far more stringent monitoring and guidance measures to be put in place relating to grant funding provided to Eastern Cape municipalities. In response to a DA parliamentary question, the MEC for COGTA, Xolile Nqatha, revealed extensive underspending of grants by Eastern Cape Municipalities. Download response and supporting doc This is a simply unacceptable, as these funds are specifically granted to municipalities to assist with …
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MEC could have avoided legal action over unlawful appointment in SRVM months ago
February 24th, 2020 In a landmark court decision, the appointment of the Chief Financial Officer of the Sunday’s River Valley Municipality (SRVM) has been set aside by the Eastern Cape division of the High Court. This is exactly what the Democratic Alliance warned the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Xolile Nqatha, would happen in June last year, when we advised him that the appointment was irregular and unlawful and requested his …
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EC Municipalities debt to Eskom surpasses the Billion-rand mark
December 4th, 2019 As of the 19th of November, the debt owed to Eskom by Eastern Cape municipalities surpassed the R1-billion mark. This growing debt places Eastern Cape municipalities under significant risk of having their power disconnected. In a response to questions for oral reply in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature today (Wednesday 4 December 2019, the MEC of COGTA, Xolile Nqatha, revealed that, as of 19 November, the collective debt of Eastern …
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Looming electricity disruptions will cripple Eastern Cape economy
November 20th, 2019 Businesses and residents in the Raymond Mhlaba, Amahlathi and Sundays River Local Municipalities are facing the reality of not having electricity, even though they have paid for the service, because their municipalities have failed to pay Eskom. Eskom has recently published notices for planned power disruptions that will cripple the already failing Eastern Cape economy. Businesses will be forced to close their doors and thousands of jobs stand to be …
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The Democratic Alliance moves for Enoch Mgijima municipality to be dissolved
October 24th, 2019
The Democratic Alliance has today moved a motion at the special sitting of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature (Taking the Legislature to the People) in Komani, that the Enoch Mgijima Municipality be dissolved in terms of section 139 (1)(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The Democratic Alliance believes that the Municipality has failed to meet its executive obligations in terms of the Constitution and legislation in …
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Phase one of first eco-friendly road in South Africa completed
October 22nd, 2019
The first eco-friendly road in South Africa, that incorporates waste plastic that would otherwise have gone to landfill or ended up in our oceans, has been completed in Jeffreys Bay, in the DA –led municipality of Kouga. This amazing accomplishment comes two years after a motion by the Democratic Alliance to consider the implementation of a pilot project – to test the feasibility and practicability of building roads by incorporating …
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R53 Million Somerset East Airfield now cattle grazing field
August 28th, 2019
The R53-million Somerset East Airfield that was opened in January 2016, has now become nothing more than grazing field for stray cattle due to the Blue Crane Route Local Municipality’s failure to act. The airfield, with its 1.2km long runway, was built by the Cacadu Development Agency in collaboration with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. It was supposed to be the gateway for transportation of domestic produce …
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