Letters to the Editor

[Listen to a soundbite by Yusuf Cassim MPL] Dear Editor Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s plan to host the first State of the Province Address (SOPA) of his seventh term in Ntabankulu is a waste of money and has been preventing the Eastern Cape Legislature from fulfilling its core function of holding his executive to account. This event will necessitate significant travel and accommodation expenses for the 72 Members of the Legislature and associated staff, as well as extensive logistical … [Read more...] about Premier’s planned SOPA extravagance holds Legislature oversight hostage

[Listen to a soundbite from Retief Odendaal MPL on the Kariega Flood Disaster disaster] Dear Editor Nearly two months after a flash flood caused damage estimated at R1,1 billion in Kariega, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has been unable to commence with reinstatement work or assist flood victims. Not only were electrical, sewerage, water and road infrastructure destroyed during the flash flood on 1 June, displaced families are also still awaiting the much-promised temporary … [Read more...] about They Came, They Saw, They Did NOTHING

Dear Editor It is really immature, short-sighted and bigoted for the likes of the apparently cowardly "Bullet" to make reference to "mud huts" and "bushes" when having a mud-wrestling fight over the enforced Gqeberha moniker in lieu of the apolitical, albeit British-inspired Port Elizabeth, or other soft targets used by our apparently spiteful Neo-africanists when addressing the name change issue [The Herald Letters 22 July 2024]. As a born & bred Baainar, I was not born in Gqeberha, but … [Read more...] about Port Elizabeth Retention

Dear Editor The DA in the Eastern Cape is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of former Kouga Municipality Councillor, Freddy Campher. Freddy was a teacher by occupation and in 2011 was elected as the ward councillor for Ward 4 in the Kouga Municipality – a position which he served in until 2021. He was fully committed to this calling and in 2012 was named as the best DA ward councillor in the Eastern Cape. In 2018 he was appointed as Member of the Mayoral Committee for Infrastructure … [Read more...] about RIP Freddy Campher

Dear Editor Faith & Hope ... that is my Woolhope Secondary School alma mater's motto ... wherein I was the 1996 Deputy Head Boy ... hence the proverbial fuel that is mostly driving my expansionary ideas, madam Geraldine, or whoever is behind the seemingly debate-loving writer's mononym [The Herald 18 July 2024]. It is therefore not in me to think in terms of Afro-pessimism and/or the negative South African Socio-economic situation when formulating my ideas at all. A letter-of-response I … [Read more...] about Geraldine Mononym & Monologue

Dear Editor The DA in the Eastern Cape wishes to congratulate and welcome four new PR councillors who have been appointed to serve in the Nelson Mandela Bay Council. Marshall von Buchenroder, Werner Senekal, Saki Tukani, and Marco Blaauw, will take up their positions and be sworn in shortly. They take up the positions that were left vacant following the tragic passing of Cllr Buyelwa Jacobs as well as the vacancies left by Retief Odendaal, Kabelo Mogatosi and Dr Malcolm Figg, who … [Read more...] about Four New Councillors for NMB

The Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a state of emergency in Nelson Mandela Bay due to the systematic breakdown of law and order. A copy of the letter follows: Dear Honourable President Ramaphosa On behalf of the Nelson Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition (NMBCSC) we wish to bring to your attention the alarming and escalating levels of crime which is engulfing our metro, and causing severe socio-economic hardship, insecurity and … [Read more...] about NMB Civil Society Coalition calls for crime state of disaster to be declared in NMB

Dear Editor As the legendary Frantz Fanon once opined along the lines that when the citizens cannot influence its very own government, then they tend to turn unto each other, I am therefore doffing my hat to the incumbent Sports Minister, Gayton McKenzie, for his quest to validate the current art of Spinning [and Drifting] as an actual mainstream sport. The lawlessness in South Africa, especially the mindless shootings and often resultant killings, can be attributed to what Fanon pointed … [Read more...] about Spinning [and Drifting] Validation

Dear Editor While hospitals and clinics across the province have run out of critical medical supplies, the Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDOH) is now seemingly prioritising a vanity project above providing crucial medical treatment and saving lives. The Director of Communication in the ECDOH has requested the Supply Chain section to tender for the printing and framing of 600 photos of politicians to be placed in departments and health facilities across the province. This could … [Read more...] about Posers – 1, Essential Medical Equipment – 0

[Listen to a soundbite by Cllr Morné Steyn] Dear Editor The 2024/25 budget that was adopted by the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Council today, will see ratepayers forking out R1,447 billion to cover the losses of a collapsing Electricity and Energy department. The beleaguered department has already seen a 250% increase in its year-on-year deficit for the current financial year. The perilous financial state of the Electricity Department has the potential of destroying the financial … [Read more...] about Brace Yourselves for NMB’s Achilles Heel: A Bankrupt Electricity Department

[Sound clip from Dr Vicky Knoeze MPL] Dear Editor The new cabinet announced by Premier Oscar Mabuyane today have their work cut out for them as they tackle the systemic challenges in their respective portfolios. The Democratic Alliance welcomes Premier Mabuyane’s commitment to focus on economic growth in the province after he announced that he was splitting the Department of Finance from the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs, and Tourism. The Eastern Cape has … [Read more...] about Tough road ahead for new Eastern Cape cabinet

Dear Editor Inadequate ward budget allocations that had DA Ward councillors fuming have led to the Nelson Mandela Bay municipal budget being postponed for further engagement. Insignificant budget allocations of as little as R250 000 per ward led to DA Ward councillors demanding a redraft of the capital budget in a bid to secure more funding for their residents. One of the key concerns of ward councillors is the collapsing state of existing infrastructure. Over the past couple of years … [Read more...] about Delay in NMB budget approval

[Listen to a sound clip in English from Andrew Whitfield MP.] Dear Editor Today, 14 June 2024, eleven Democratic Alliance members were sworn in as members of the seventh sitting of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, up from ten seats held in the sixth term. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr Vicky Knoetze on her election as the DA’s newly elected leader of the official opposition. Vicky is a seasoned DA politician who has served in the legislature since 2014. At … [Read more...] about MPLs ready to fight for the people of the Eastern Cape

[Listen to a sound clip from Cllr Dries van der Westhuizen.] Dear Editor The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s (NMBM) stubborn refusal to remove punitive water tariffs, despite most dams overflowing, is completely irrational and has residents rightfully fuming! At a time when residents must carefully consider every cent being spent as ongoing inflation deepens the cost-of-living crisis across South Africa, punitive water tariffs whilst dams are overflowing is a slap in the face. The … [Read more...] about Calls for scrapping of punitive water tariffs in NMB as dams overflow