https://youtu.be/4mIZ2EFudAY The DA's Vicky Knoetze speaks on the collapse of Municipalities in the Eastern Cape.Vicky Knoetze is a South African politician serving as a Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature for the Democratic Alliance. She was elected to the provincial legislature in May 2014. Dear MyPE This year will be crunch time for most municipalities in the Eastern Cape that are on the edge of collapse, as illustrated by the announcement that the bankrupt Amathole … [Read more...] about MEC Nqatha must appoint a special task team to save failing EC municipalities from collapse
Letters to the Editor
Expired licenses and unpaid fines clip Hawks’ wings
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to the National Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, regarding reports of the Hawks’ fleet being grounded as a result of expired license discs due to unpaid fines. Members of the Hawks in Gauteng have been prevented from conducting investigations due to the license disks on their official vehicles not being renewed because of unpaid fines, some of which date back to 2015. Critical investigations into, amongst others, fraud and … [Read more...] about Expired licenses and unpaid fines clip Hawks’ wings
RIP Bambezakhe Goya
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has learnt with shock and sadness the news of the untimely passing of the Mayor of Ingquza Hill Municipality, Cllr Bambezakhe Goya. Cllr Goya passed away after a short illness. We would like extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues during this time of sorrow. Cllr Goya was a formidable public representative, who sought to serve his community until his final days. He served on the council for many years and played a … [Read more...] about RIP Bambezakhe Goya
Speaker Buyelwa Mafaya refuses legal petition to call special council meeting
Dear MyPE Yesterday, 12 January 2021, the office of the Speaker of the Nelson Mandela Bay Council, Cllr Buyelwa Mafaya, refused to accept a petition calling for a special council meeting and has yet again proved that she is deeply compromised and places the needs of the ANC above the needs of the people of the City. The Democratic Alliance (DA) and other opposition parties, namely the ACDP, Cope, UDM, UF and AIC, have drawn up a petition to ensure that a special council meeting is called … [Read more...] about Speaker Buyelwa Mafaya refuses legal petition to call special council meeting
Students should not pay the price for NSFAS and UNISA’s poor administration
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the University of South Africa (UNISA) and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) asking them to clarify the decision to reduce the 2021 new student intake by 20 000. This week Higher Education Minister, Blade Ndzimande, announced that UNISA should reduce their first-year student intake by 20 000 as compensation for the previous year’s over-enrollment by the same number. According to the Minister, NSFAS cannot financially … [Read more...] about Students should not pay the price for NSFAS and UNISA’s poor administration
Did Ramaphosa mislead the nation on vaccine acquisition?
Dear MyPE In his address to the nation on Monday night, President Ramaphosa claimed that his government has been working on vaccine acquisition for six months, which would have been since July last year. Yet there is much evidence to suggest this is simply not the truth. We cannot fully discard the risk that government’s reluctance to secure a full supply of vaccines from reputable suppliers is because the politically connected are hoping to score kickbacks from Chinese and Russians … [Read more...] about Did Ramaphosa mislead the nation on vaccine acquisition?
Closure of land borders prove Home Affairs’ sheer inability to address chaos at Beitbridge
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) holds the view that the closure of South Africa’s land borders with neighbouring countries has more to do with the Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) sheer inability to address the recent chaos at the Beitbridge Border Post, than curbing the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. On Monday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the closure of land borders citing the risk of exposure to Covid-19 due to congestion that was making it difficult to … [Read more...] about Closure of land borders prove Home Affairs’ sheer inability to address chaos at Beitbridge
Another Court Case Looming
Dear MyPE It is not surprising that the serving of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro citizens would again be peripheral to the looming court case regarding the illegality of mayor Nqaba Bhanga's appointment (The Herald 12 January 2021 headline). I have to repeat that since Nelson Mandela was a qualified (& practising) lawyer, jurisprudence, law and/or legalese became highly over-rated with TV-loving advocates, lawyers, commissioner-of-inquiries, judges etc. jostling for vantage positions in … [Read more...] about Another Court Case Looming
Lack of a clear vaccine plan is now becoming a full-blown crisis
Dear MyPE Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement last night, it has become clear that we have no concrete plan for the acquisition of this vaccine or government is concealing crucial information. Either way, this spells a looming crisis for South Africa. Government has announced that 1.5 million doses -which equates to 750 000 people in real terms- will be delivered in the next several weeks. The Oxford Astrazeneca is obtained from the India Serum Institute. We are aware that … [Read more...] about Lack of a clear vaccine plan is now becoming a full-blown crisis
Calls for extension of UIF Ters scheme
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling upon the government to extend the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s (UIF) Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief (Ters) scheme, in light of the extension of the adjusted level 3 lockdown announced last night. The prolonged lockdown is devastating hundreds of businesses, many of them in the tourism, hospitality and liquor industries, which are either unable to operate or are only able to operate partially under increased … [Read more...] about Calls for extension of UIF Ters scheme
Ramaphosa’s vaccine promises leave more questions than answers
Dear MyPE While our government continues to tinker with lockdown levels and impose arbitrary and often ineffectual regulations that continue to wreak havoc on our decimated economy, it has failed to do the one thing that can save both lives and the economy, and that is the acquisition of sufficient vaccines. Just as it failed to use the initial lockdown last year to augment our country’s healthcare, it has now sat back and watched as other countries snapped up all available vaccines, leaving … [Read more...] about Ramaphosa’s vaccine promises leave more questions than answers
Possible delay in school reopening
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga to provide clarity on reports doing the rounds that the government is considering pushing the reopening of schools to mid-February rather than the originally scheduled date of 27 January 2021. We do not support such a delay as this will likely do more harm than good and will only lead to schools being subjected to the same chaos that they were subjected to during the 2020 academic year. The … [Read more...] about Possible delay in school reopening
DA EC requests feedback on Basic Education Employment Initiative
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape will be seeking clarity around the implementation of the Basic Education Employment Initiative programme by the Eastern Cape Department of Basic Education. This national programme seeks to provide temporary employment to 319 061 people across the country to help teachers with curriculum coverage and learner homework assistance as well as upkeep of the school premises and infrastructure maintenance. Almost R5 billion has been … [Read more...] about DA EC requests feedback on Basic Education Employment Initiative
Mbalula must include car license renewals in extended grace period
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) is alarmed at the reckless and unnecessary fiasco caused by the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula and his department’s decision not to extend the grace period for car license disk renewals. On Saturday, 9th January, the Department of Transport released a clarification statement confirming that, whilst extending the validity of all learners licenses, driving license cards, temporary driving licence cards and professional driving permits (that … [Read more...] about Mbalula must include car license renewals in extended grace period
Minister Mkhize must account for flawed Eastern Cape Covid-19 statistics
Dear MyPE I will again write to the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, to request feedback and a full report after more woefully inadequate Eastern Cape Covid-19 statistics were released earlier this week by the Department of Health. The minister announced on Wednesday, 6 January 2021, that the Eastern Cape, with 452 deaths, has the highest Covid-19 mortality rate in the country, but that the province only has the third lowest number of active Coronavirus cases. These statistics are … [Read more...] about Minister Mkhize must account for flawed Eastern Cape Covid-19 statistics
