Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor The DA in the Eastern Cape has laid criminal charges against the mayor of the Matatiele municipality after he allegedly abused municipal funds of more than R13 000 to attend an ANC conference. Yesterday, 5 July 2023, I was joined by DA Alfred Nzo Constituency Leader, Baxolile Nodada MP, in opening a case of fraud against mayor Sonwabile Mngenela at the Matatiele Police Station. This followed the cash-strapped municipality authorising accommodation and travel costs to the … [Read more...] about Criminal charges laid against mayor of Matatiele municipality

Dear Editor No wonder the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality can afford its endless generosity when it comes to the enrichment and protection of its beloved CODESA PosterBoys [and Ladies]; meaning the ANC Anointees and/or South African White Capital Approved Individuals that are given golden handshakes willy-nilly and then, as in a typical Javelin case study, find themselves rehired for another cushy job by the very same municipality that was their prosecutor, defender, judge and jury. That … [Read more...] about NMBM Continues With Electricity Day Light Robbery

Dear Editor Contrary to Mo & Phindi's Mutual respect a necessity for marriage to thrive article [The Weekend Post - Saturday 1 July 2023]; I am opining that disrespect is the end-game to any interaction. Having never been married myself, but there is no bargaining for respect in any interaction, because disrespect is always calculated and therefore never a once-off honest mistake. Spousal Homicide nowadays is simply a confirmation that one party is better off without the other, long after … [Read more...] about Mutual Respect or Mutual Disrespect?

Dear Editor In the past and two months before every winter holiday, the citizens of Grahamstown would be hard at work preparing for the Art Festival. Every Government institution would employ an additional group of contractual workers. This was done to prepare for this prestigious event about to happen in town. Public works would ensure roads damaged due to summer rains were fixed and clearly marked with road markings. Every year a new road would be constructed, tarred, for easy access to … [Read more...] about From the Poor to the Rich: Makhanda’s Standard Bank Art Festival Fails to Deliver

Dear Editor Today, 30 June 2023, Cllr Hattingh Bornman was elected as the new Executive Mayor of the Kouga Municipality. Mayor Bornman takes over the reins from Horatio Hendricks, who has been appointed as a DA member in the Eastern Cape Legislature. The DA congratulates Mayor Bornman, who will build on the good work started by the DA when we took over the Kouga government in 2016. Mayor Bornman was first elected as a councillor in 2016 and served as the Speaker of council from 2018 to … [Read more...] about Hattingh Bornman elected as Kouga Mayor

ear Editor Thousands of additional indigent households in Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) will now be receiving free basic services as from 1 July 2023. This is the result of progressive changes proposed by the previous DA coalition government to the Assistance to the Poor (ATTP) programme – the metro’s indigent policy. All properties with a value of R130 000 and less will now automatically qualify for free basic services. Under a DA coalition government, the municipality managed to deliver … [Read more...] about Indigent Have Former Coalition Government to Thank

Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape was recently victorious in its almost five-year long battle to force the Amathole District Municipality (ADM) to stop the unabated flow of raw sewage through the town of Fort Beaufort and into the Kat River. For many years wastewater has been spilling outside the homes of residents, and from manholes and the water treatment works and into the Kat River due to failed sewage pump stations and chronic lack of regular … [Read more...] about Amathole District fined millions for polluting river

Dear Editor The Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) of the DA in the Eastern Cape has today officially suspended Nqaba Bhanga from all party-political activities. This decision was taken unanimously by the PEC. Yesterday, 26 June 2023, a notice of intention to suspend him was delivered to Bhanga by the sheriff of the court and sent to him via email. Bhanga made written representations as to why he should not be suspended after making use of social media to label the DA’s Federal … [Read more...] about Nqaba Bhanga Suspended

Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape is pleased to announce that former Executive Mayor of the Kouga Municipality, Horatio Hendricks has been appointed as a DA member in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. The PR councillor vacancy that was created after Horatio accepted his new position, has been filled by Gregory Stuurman who hails from Loerie. Hendricks made himself available for the vacant MPL position created by the resignation of Edmund Van Vuuren. … [Read more...] about Former Kouga Mayor to take up position in EC Legislature

Dear Editor The Eastern Cape is in the middle of a substance abuse crisis, as people seek to escape the harsh lived reality of systemic unemployment, abject poverty and loss of hope. This has not gone unnoticed by those seeking to profit off these individuals, exploiting their vulnerabilities for their own gain. Despite the rising drug crisis in the province, the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development has stopped funding to four NPO’s delivering services to those affected by drug … [Read more...] about More needs to be done to tackle Eastern Cape drug abuse crisis

Dear Editor The DA rejects the evidence-free slurs directed by Nqaba Bhanga at the Chairperson of the Federal Council, Helen Zille. Bhanga’s claims were recorded in a poorly written post on Facebook which he had to edit multiple times. These claims fall flat at the first and most simple hurdle. Bhanga claims that Zille was in Gqeberha on Friday night in furtherance of some far-fetched conspiracy against him. However, the DA has confirmed that Zille was not even in the Eastern Cape at the … [Read more...] about Nqaba Bhanga’s evidence-free slurs

Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape has unanimously resolved to serve DA member Nqaba Bhanga with a notice of intention to suspend him from all party activities pending the outcome of an investigation into claims of bringing the party in disrepute, among other transgressions of the DA’s standards of conduct for its members. The intention to suspend Nqaba Bhanga follows after he publicly labelled another DA member, Helen Zille, a “racist” and posted unfounded … [Read more...] about Nqaba Bhanga Faces Suspension

Earlier today former Mayor of NMB, Retief Odendaal, took a swipe at present Mayor, Gary van Niekerk's apparent neglect of the townspeople of Kariega. See: Don’t Stress Kariega, Retief is Here In a statement that shows that the two are not Facebook friends (despite their short lived coalition romance) Gary said: After being informed about an inflammatory Facebook post [Editor: It was also sent out as a press release by the DA, Gary] by PR Councillor Retief Odendaal regarding the neglect of … [Read more...] about Gary Takes Retief’s Bait

Dear Editor While the people of the Makana Municipality suffer due to a debilitating water crisis and service delivery collapse, the inept Makana mayor is being protected from being removed from power. Yesterday, 20 June 2023, at a Makana special Council meeting the DA tabled a motion of no confidence in the Executive Mayor, Yandiswa Vara. The motion was submitted on 24 May 2023 and dealt with the mayor’s inability to deal with the water crisis and service delivery collapse in the … [Read more...] about MONC in Makana mayor illegally prevented