DA gets answers on Day Zero safety
June 27th, 2022
The Democratic Alliance welcomes the fact that there are plans in place by SAPS to deal with any possible unrest or vandalism that might take place around Day Zero. As part of our campaign to ensure preparedness for Day Zero in Nelson Mandela Bay, I raised this issue by way of a question for an oral reply to MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe, last week in the provincial legislature. See Reply IQP …
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The Eastern Cape is in the midst of a dire youth unemployment crisis, with four out of every five youth between the ages of 15 and 24 without work. The Democratic Alliance is demanding that Premier Oscar Mabuyane spell out, on Youth Day later this week, what it is that his government is doing to offer hope to the young people of this province. He needs to provide viable interventions …
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Eastern Cape crime spiralling out of control
June 3rd, 2022
The Eastern Cape SAPS is losing control of the spiralling violent crime in the province, with the highest murder rate per capita in the country at 15.7 murders per 100 000 people. The province also has the highest rape rate per capita with 27.6 rapes per 100 000 people. This carnage that is sweeping through our society is fuelling severe anxiety as more and more people are terrified by brutal …
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Eastern Cape Unemployment remains stubbornly high
May 31st, 2022
The Eastern Cape still has the highest unemployment statistics in the country. Although the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey has shown that there has been a decline of 1% in the unemployment statistics for the Eastern Cape, down from 45% to 44% and 0.6 down for the expanded unemployment, from 53.2% to 52.6%, the unemployment remains stubbornly high in the province. The ANC provincial government is failing to provide the …
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Massive decline in Police Reservists in EC
May 16th, 2022
There has been a massive decline in the number of police reservists, with figures dropping by a staggering 75% over the past six years, resulting in significant setbacks to safety in the province. There are thousands of potential volunteers out there! Let’s harness the energy of the whole of society working together to restore trust in SAPS and plug the safety vacuum. The drastic declines were revealed in several responses …
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Huge vandalism spike in EC Metros
May 9th, 2022
There has been a huge spike in vandalism cases of essential infrastructure in both the Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City metros over the past financial year, placing significant strain on service delivery to residents. In Nelson Mandela Bay, reported cases more than doubled, rising from 143 cases in the 2020/2021 financial year to 292 reported cases in 2021/2022 financial year. For the same period under review, in Buffalo City, …
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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 …
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Eastern Cape still suffering Covid-19 pandemic jobs hangover
March 29th, 2022
The unemployment figures released today show the Eastern Cape is still suffering from a Covid-19 pandemic jobs hangover because the recovery for the province is far too slow. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey statistics, covering the period from October to December 2021, have revealed that the Eastern Cape’s unemployment dropped slightly from 47.4% to 45%, The expanded unemployment rate has also dropped slightly, from 54.5% to 53.2%. While we welcome …
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There has been a dramatic spike in beachfront crime within the Humewood policing precinct, in Nelson Mandela Bay, which could in part be attributed to the appalling vacancies at the Humewood Police Station. The shortage of manpower allocated to the station needs to be resolved urgently. In response to a parliamentary question I submitted in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, Community Safety MEC, Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe, revealed that the Humewood police …
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DA calls for Economic Impact Assessment of the Ukraine War on EC
March 16th, 2022
The Democratic Alliance has called on the provincial government to do an economic impact assessment of how the war in Ukraine can and will affect the Eastern Cape economy, and the adverse impact it is going to have on the people of this province. The unfolding humanitarian crisis, and the resultant dire economic impact, is going to have a knock-on effect on the economy and escalating poverty levels in the …
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