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Dear EditorWith the State of Disaster set to be extended for yet another month, despite promises from the ANC government in February that the perpetual extensions of lockdown would come to an end, it is high time the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s head rolled. Despite her title, Minister Dlamini-Zuma has shown little aptitude for cooperation. She, and the rest of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s National Corona Command Council (NCCC), have … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons for Motion of No Confidence in Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

Dear EditorThe DA demands an investigation into the environmental disaster that killed three tonnes of fish in the Wilge and Klein Ollifants rivers in Mpumalanga after an acid water spillage from the un-rehabilitated Kromdraai Coal Mine in eMalahleni. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) must also take immediate action against the responsible officials. On 16 February 2022, dead fish were noticed in the Wilge- and Klein Olifants rivers, which were then removed and … [Read more...] about The biggest ecological disaster in 40 years

Dear EditorThe tender process to appoint a new aeromedical service for the Eastern Cape, that would ensure a functional air ambulance service to airlift critically injured and ill patients to medical facilities, has already been delayed. Last week, the Democratic Alliance revealed that Health MEC, Nomakhosazana Meth, had finally cancelled the tender awarded to Leli Investments, after the company proved incapable of fulfilling the requirements of the contract. In a recent report to the … [Read more...] about New Eastern Cape aeromedical contract bid already delayed

Dear EditorIn August 2021 the Department of Home Affairs appeared before the Portfolio Committee and announced that they will be introducing an appointment system that was piloted at high volume Home Affairs branches in the Western Cape, Gauteng and KZN. Yet, the DA continues to be inundated with complaints from residents in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and North West, stating that Home Affairs offices in their areas continue to have unbearably long queues. The offices we received most complaints … [Read more...] about Motsoaledi must urgently deal with unbearably long queues at Home Affairs

Dear EditorThe DA is calling on Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) to provide an update on the delayed release of the 2021 fourth-quarter Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) statistics which were due for release on 21 February 2022. When StatsSA announced their decision to delay the release of the QLFS, they cited a ‘slow response rate’ and the need to do ‘quality checks’ before the results could be made public. While the DA does not dispute the necessity of quality assurance checks to ensure … [Read more...] about Release of unemployment statistics delayed

Dear EditorIt is no surprise that the Makana Municipality has once again received a disclaimer of audit opinion from the Auditor-General (AG). This is the fourth consecutive audit disclaimer under the tenure of the current Municipal Manager (MM). An audit disclaimer is issued when the auditee provided insufficient evidence in the form of documentation on which to base an audit opinion. Some of the reasons provided by the AG for the disclaimer are: No documents provided to substantiate … [Read more...] about 4th Consecutive Makana Audit Disclaimer

South Africa has recorded 1 868 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 690 291.This increase represents a 6.5% positivity rate. “Due to the ongoing audit exercise by the National Department of Health (NDoH), there may be a backlog of COVID-19 mortality cases reported. Today, the NDoH reports 25 deaths and of these 10 occurred in the past 24 – 48 hours. This brings the total fatalities to 99 681 to date,” the National Institute for Communicable Diseases … [Read more...] about 1 868

Dear EditorThe poor handling of the road tender for the upgrade of the R56 road, near Indwe in the Eastern Cape, has inflated the cost by R111 million and delayed construction by 12 years. The maintenance and upgrade of roads are critical in linking individuals to opportunities, by providing accessibility and mobility for both commercial and personal transport. The project was recently flagged by the Auditor General at a meeting of SCOPA. In response to formal questions to the Transport MEC, … [Read more...] about Poor handling of roads tender inflates cost and delays completion by 12 years

Dear EditorThis morning, I met with Ukraine’s Ambassador to South Africa, Ms Liubov Abravitova, where we were joined by the Director-General of the Western Cape Government, Dr Harry Malila, and the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier. This meeting follows a commitment made during a provincial cabinet earlier this week to engage with the Ambassador and share our unequivocal position that we strongly condemn the government of the Russian Federation for its … [Read more...] about Premier Meets With Ukraine Ambassador