A letter from Today's Birthday Boy - Retief Odendaal. Happy Birthday Retief Dear MyPE Urgent intervention is needed as Eastern Cape municipalities begin pushing unrealistic budgets through their councils, with rates and tariff increases far above inflation. This comes at a time when ratepayers and consumers are under immense financial pressure, due to the extended lockdown measures imposed on them by national government. If municipalities insist on trying to squeeze blood out of a stone, … [Read more...] about Municipalities start pushing through unrealistic budgets
Letters to the Editor
Collective Means Cowardice
Dear MyPE When one hears about "the collective" in South Africa, especially when it comes to decisions that are not going to benefit its general citizenry, but the axis-of-obsfucation namely the ANC / SACP / COSATU tripartite alliance; one's blood used to boil with anger but not anymore. The SAA's never-ending dilly-dallying regarding its necessity and/or longevity confirms once again that in the South African context, Collective primarily means Cowardice (or Communist) as no-one seem to … [Read more...] about Collective Means Cowardice
Didiza’s attempt to legalise the consumption of wild animals is unfathomable
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has submitted several parliamentary questions to the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy, requesting clarity on whether existing conservation legislation such as the regulations on Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS) will still apply to wildlife species that are commercially-bred or that have been re-classified as “livestock”. We have also submitted a question to Minister Didiza on her motivation to add … [Read more...] about Didiza’s attempt to legalise the consumption of wild animals is unfathomable
Lifting of the hard lockdown comes a full six weeks too late
Dear MyPE The DA welcomes the announcement by the President that large swathes of the economy will be opened up, subject to hygiene, mask and distancing protocols, as we move to Alert Level 3 of the lockdown on 1 June. This is in line with what the DA has called for, repeatedly, for the past month. For clarity on the DA’s position on the Covid19 response and the lockdown crisis, please see our FAQ document here. While it is critical that we now save what can be saved in our economy, it … [Read more...] about Lifting of the hard lockdown comes a full six weeks too late
Gade ducks and dives questions on controversial R160 million Sizwe Africa contract
Dear MyPE The MEC of Education, Fundile Gade, and his Department must be summoned before the Education Portfolio Committee to answer questions regarding the contract with Sizwe Africa IT Group, after showing blatant contempt for portfolio members during a sitting yesterday. I have never before witnessed such contempt from a member of the executive, who has chosen to rather act unconstitutionally and break his oath of office than simply answer questions regarding a contract that he has … [Read more...] about Gade ducks and dives questions on controversial R160 million Sizwe Africa contract
Lindiwe Zulu in court today over food distribution restrictions
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) case against Social Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu, takes place in the Western Cape High Court today. The DA has brought the action after Zulu’s department enforced a ban on soup kitchens and drew up tight regulations that hindered the distribution of food parcels by NGOs and charities. The draft regulations were issued two weeks ago and have been applied even though they have not been legally processed. A large number of food relief … [Read more...] about Lindiwe Zulu in court today over food distribution restrictions
Eastern Cape soon to have second highest infection rate in the country
Dear MyPE The Eastern Cape is set to overtake Gauteng as the province with the second-highest confirmed cases of Coronavirus infections in the country. This is not surprising, as the province already has the highest rate of infections in prisons, and the second-highest rate of cases, recoveries and deaths per million people nationally. The disease is spreading rapidly across the province, and the Department of Health does not have the capacity to do effective tracking, tracing, and … [Read more...] about Eastern Cape soon to have second highest infection rate in the country
Makana ruling back in force, paves way for municipalities abandoned by government
Dear MyPE A watershed ruling to have the Makana Municipality dissolved, handed down in January this year, has come back into effect after Judge Igna Stretch dismissed the application by the Provincial Government and the Municipality for leave to appeal the ruling, with costs. In the judgement handed down late yesterday afternoon, Judge Stretch found that there were no reasonable prospects that the appeal would succeed. This ruling means the original order to dissolve the council, which … [Read more...] about Makana ruling back in force, paves way for municipalities abandoned by government
Homeless suffer due to food shortage at NMB shelters
Dear MyPE Two meals a day consisting of substandard food, lacking in nutrition, and a shortage of toilet facilities are just some of the issues facing residents of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality homeless shelter in Uitenhage. Today, 21 May 2020, I conducted an oversight inspection at the Uitenhage Town Hall and met with the 32 homeless people housed in this shelter. I was joined by DA EC Shadow MEC for Social Development, Edmund van Vuuren, MPL, DA Winterhoek Constituency Leader, … [Read more...] about Homeless suffer due to food shortage at NMB shelters
Calls on Eskom to provide daily updates and forecasts on the status of the grid
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on Eskom to provide the nation with daily updates and forecasts on the status and stability of the power grid. This follows the admission by Eskom’s COO, Jan Oberholzer, at a media briefing this morning that due to the neglect of the utility's power plants, the grid remains unpredictable and unreliable. This admission seems to indicate that as the country is gradually moving out of the hard lockdown, we are now slipping back into a complete … [Read more...] about Calls on Eskom to provide daily updates and forecasts on the status of the grid
The Double Z Diatribe
Dear MyPE Helen Zille's Nongqawuse jibe against Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma's apparent #LockDown ego trip once again raises my observation and personal experience that Verkrampte Witmense (VW) aka White Supremacists and Black Educational Snobs (BES) belong to the same WhatsApp group, which is prejudice based on deluded sense of superiority. Zille seem to be arrogating herself into thinking that she is a lifelong saviour of black people since her expose of Steve Biko's murder by fellow white … [Read more...] about The Double Z Diatribe
No More Payslips
Dear MyPE Yours truly thinks it is a ripe time now for employers to make Electronic Salary / Wage Advices mandatory considering that the Corona virus is making all of us adjust our proverbial sails according the wind direction. I am therefore advocating for Wages & Salary Payslips to be e-mailed, sms'ed, WhatsApp'ed etc. to employees and having them in tactile form being an absolute necessary option. Employees can therefore always print those documents when the need arises. Many, if not … [Read more...] about No More Payslips
Eastern Cape municipalities get worst audit outcome in six years
Dear MyPE Urgent interventions are needed to get the financial affairs of municipalities in the Eastern Cape back on track, after the Auditor General revealed that the province’s 2018/19 financial year has had the worst audit results in the past six years. The latest findings clearly show that local municipalities simply do not have the capacity to manage their own finances, and urgent intervention from the provincial government is needed, if we are to prevent the total collapse of … [Read more...] about Eastern Cape municipalities get worst audit outcome in six years
Save the subsistence fishing community
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), Barbara Creecy, requesting an immediate amendment to the Covid-19 lockdown fishing regulations to lift the restriction placed on recreational fishing which will allow for subsistence or "own-consumption" fishers to feed their families. The DA has received hundreds of desperate pleas from subsistence fishers who are in possession of recreational fishing permits, but … [Read more...] about Save the subsistence fishing community
Critical multi-million water infrastructure project abandoned during crippling drought
Dear MyPE A recent oversight visit to the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality has revealed that critical water infrastructure projects, started more than two years ago, have been abandoned, half built, with the sites left hazardous and unsafe for surrounding communities. Contractors for these debacles should be blacklisted, and the province must sue them for non-performance. We need to start enforcing accountability! In response to a parliamentary question regarding the reservoirs, MEC … [Read more...] about Critical multi-million water infrastructure project abandoned during crippling drought
