Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has launched a petition to oppose the government’s plans to extend license fees to streaming services such as Netflix, Showmax, and others. In the Draft White Paper on Audio and Audio-visual Content Services Policy Framework: A New Vision for South Africa 2020, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies proposes broadening the definition of a “broadcasting service” to include online broadcasting services. This means that South … [Read more...] about Sign petition rejecting license fees for Netflix, Showmax
Letters to the Editor
Metro Police confiscate firearm and enforce COVID-19 regulations compliance
The Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Police came to the rescue of a driver in a bullet-riddled car, closed some establishments and issued numerous fines during COVID-19 enforcement operations over the weekend. Bay Metro Police Commissioner Yolande Faro said owners of two bars and a tavern were issued with R500 fines for non-compliance with coronavirus regulations and nine taverns across Nelson Mandela Bay were temporarily closed for the same reason. “We not only demonstrated our commitment … [Read more...] about Metro Police confiscate firearm and enforce COVID-19 regulations compliance
The Eskom crisis can be solved
An open letter to David Mabuza Dear Deputy President Mabuza: We’ve been down this road before... The announcement that the country would again be plunged into stage 2 loadshedding last night comes as no surprise. If anything, the surprise is that Eskom managed to last as long as it did without resorting to rolling blackouts. Just a year ago, South Africa was left in the dark for days, as Eskom implemented Stage 6 loadshedding. At the time, President Ramaphosa promised unprecedented … [Read more...] about The Eskom crisis can be solved
Closing beaches will potentially increase the spread of Covid
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance understands that government, through recommendations made by the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), is considering the possibility of closing some beaches over the festive season. Considering that experience shows that any such “interventions” by government has done nothing to curb the spread of Covid-19 but decimated the tourism industry, it is concerning that government is considering such proposals. Closing beaches during the festive … [Read more...] about Closing beaches will potentially increase the spread of Covid
DBE’s incompetence places the exam results of 2020 Matrics at risk
Dear MyPE The judgment of the Gauteng High Court paints a damning picture of the incompetence of the Department of Basic Education (DBE). The court has decided that the decision that Matrics should rewrite the Mathematics Paper 2 and Physical Science Paper 2 on 15th and 17th December should be set aside. The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the DBE to respect and abide by the Court’s decision. This will avoid any further delays and disruptions to the 2020 academic year. The Court has … [Read more...] about DBE’s incompetence places the exam results of 2020 Matrics at risk
NSFAS must clarify when extended student allowances will be paid
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to give clear direction on when the Scheme will extend allowances to those students who will continue their current academic year into 2021. This week, students at the Nelson Mandela University and Rhodes University expressed their concern as many are still waiting for their NSFAS allowances to be paid out. This, despite the Minister giving … [Read more...] about NSFAS must clarify when extended student allowances will be paid
Affidavit filed in support of criminal investigation into NMB Speaker’s alleged kidnapping
Dear MyPE Yesterday, 10 December 2020, the Democratic Alliance (DA) filed an affidavit at the Humewood Police Station in support of a request for a criminal investigation into the alleged kidnapping of the Nelson Mandela Bay Speaker, Cllr Buyelwa Mafaya. This follows after three men seemingly forcibly removed the Speaker from a Nelson Mandela Bay council sitting that took place at City Hall on 4 December 2020. I have also been informed that one of these men was carrying a firearm. Our … [Read more...] about Affidavit filed in support of criminal investigation into NMB Speaker’s alleged kidnapping
East Cape Government must account for poor handling of drought crisis
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has demanded that both Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) and Co-operative Government and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) appear before SCOPA to account for their actions in the mishandling of the ongoing drought crisis. A capable state would have put a co-ordinated, inter-departmental rapid response task team together. This would ensure that the necessary support is provided to those in crisis, to mitigate the worst … [Read more...] about East Cape Government must account for poor handling of drought crisis
16 Days of Activism should not be a box-ticking exercise
Dear MyPE The 16 Days of Activism for no violence against women and children drew to a close yesterday, but we must never lose sight of the fact that we should be active in the fight against this scourge, and the horrors of gender-based violence, every hour of the day and every day of the year. There is no pause in women and children abuse; they are violated throughout the year. Therefore, there should not be a pause in the actions taken to put a stop to these atrocities! We cannot … [Read more...] about 16 Days of Activism should not be a box-ticking exercise
Criminal charges laid against Dr Beyers Naude Municipal Manager
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has laid criminal charges against the Dr Beyers Naude Municipality’s Municipal Manager, Dr Edward Rankwana, after it came to light that the pension contributions of municipal employees have not been paid over to the pension fund for more than a year. The Municipality has deducted almost R25 million in pension contributions from its employees and failed to make payments to the pension fund since September 2019. This information came to light after I … [Read more...] about Criminal charges laid against Dr Beyers Naude Municipal Manager
SASSA only has 10 staff members to deal with R350 grant application appeals
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) can reveal that the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has no dedicated staff assigned to assist with the grant funding appeals process of the Special R350 Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD). Instead, SASSA is relying on 10 staff members to deal with appeals, in addition to their other responsibilities. That is 10 people who need to assess thousands of rejected applications. This was revealed in a Parliamentary question submitted by … [Read more...] about SASSA only has 10 staff members to deal with R350 grant application appeals
Zareba Guest House on WHY Nelson Mandela Bay Remains Attractive
Dear Travellers You must be having so many conflicting thoughts about holidays in Nelson Mandela Bay. I would be having second thoughts. But please give me a few minutes of your time to give you my thoughts and perspectives on a holiday in Nelson Mandela Bay. My first thought is that, by comparison to most other coastal destinations that tend to attract large crowds throughout the season, we are more about wide-open spaces as a holiday spot. We have an abundance of activities that are, by … [Read more...] about Zareba Guest House on WHY Nelson Mandela Bay Remains Attractive
Eastern Cape now has highest Covid-19 fatalities in the country
Dear MyPE The Eastern Cape has overtaken Gauteng as the province with the highest number of deaths attributed to Covid-19, with 5060 people having tragically lost their lives to this disease. The death toll comes despite having almost half the number of Covid-19 recorded cases than what Gauteng does. Even more concerning is that, on Monday, 7 December, the Eastern Cape epidemiological report indicated that in the previous twenty-four hours, no Covid-19 deaths had been reported. On … [Read more...] about Eastern Cape now has highest Covid-19 fatalities in the country
SMME closure rate should serve as a warning against the devastating impact of hard lockdowns
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken note of a new Covid-19 impact report on small businesses by FinFind which has reported a closure rate amongst small businesses of 42.7%. The SMME sector also experienced a job bloodbath during the first 5 months of lockdown, with 60% of full-time jobs lost, 76.8% of part-time jobs lost, 54.4% of casual jobs lost, and 41.4% of consultant jobs lost. Even more shocking is that, of the 42.6% of the now-closed SMMEs that applied for … [Read more...] about SMME closure rate should serve as a warning against the devastating impact of hard lockdowns
The dark cloud hanging over Chiapini’s Klip Dam
Dear MyPE In February 2020 the wall of the Chiapini's Klip Dam breached. Since then, the DA has written several letters to the Joe Gqabi District Municipality, requesting updates on the damages, but to no avail. Subsequently, the DA escalated the matter to the Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Xolile Nqatha, who could provide little in the way of information, other than to confirm that R1,2 million has already been spent on the repair of the … [Read more...] about The dark cloud hanging over Chiapini’s Klip Dam
