Dear MyPE The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is facing a looming financial crisis that could cripple service delivery and bring the City’s administration to a grinding halt if urgent interventions are not put in place by the current administration. Financial reports indicate that the Metro, materially under-recovered R170 million in rates and taxes during April, as residents and businesses feel the impact of the lockdown to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. The Democratic Alliance … [Read more...] about Looming financial crisis for Nelson Mandela Bay as Covid-19 bites
Letters to the Editor
Did NDZ mislead the nation or Parliament?
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) is astounded that the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, was unable or unwilling to answer our written Parliamentary question regarding the public submissions her Department received and relied on to make changes to the Government’s Draft Framework for the Risk-Adjusted Strategy to bring different sectors of the economy back to work. In her reply, the Minister told the DA that the information “is not … [Read more...] about Did NDZ mislead the nation or Parliament?
The government is starving thousands of South Africans
Dear MyPE The chaotic situation resulting from instructions from the Department of Social Development has led to the closure of food relief operations and thousands of people who were being fed are now without food. A document on food parcel distribution which is labelled a “draft” document, instructs that all private charities close soup kitchens and restrict food parcel deliveries. Even worse, the document declares that a new license must be obtained from the department for every single … [Read more...] about The government is starving thousands of South Africans
MEC may get his day in court for alleged crony enrichment procurement deal
Dear MyPE On Friday I opened a criminal case against the Department of Education relating to the awarding of a R160 million contract with Sizwe Africa IT Group, to supply the department with an e-learning platform and tablets for Grade 12 learners. The case has been opened against the Department of Education, and the Head of Department, Superintendent General, Themba Kojana. Education MEC, Fundile Gade, initially refused to answer questions around the controversial R160-million … [Read more...] about MEC may get his day in court for alleged crony enrichment procurement deal
Is Police Minister’s ego more important than crime victims?
Dear MyPE The SAPS has launched a probe into 160 fake social media accounts impersonating Police Minister Bheki Cele, while other fraud investigations against businesses and the public are placed on hold. Since the lockdown started, real cyber crimes that affect the public have exponentially increased, exposing individuals and businesses that are already under economic strain to online fraud and other crimes. In response to a 2019 parliamentary question, the Hawks Cyber Crime Unit, now … [Read more...] about Is Police Minister’s ego more important than crime victims?
Minister Mkhize must explain why expert advice is being ignored
Dear MyPE Reports today that the ministerial advisory committee (MAC) which advises the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, is in disagreement with government strategy to deal with Covid-19 are deeply concerning. It is now clear that the government is reluctant to allow scientific findings to guide the country between the various levels of the strategy in order to save lives and livelihoods. While the Health response has been commendable over the past 7 weeks and the DA has supported the … [Read more...] about Minister Mkhize must explain why expert advice is being ignored
Derelict crime hotspot school demolished
Dear MyPE After a decade of hard work and constant pressure put on the provincial government by the Democratic Alliance (DA), the ruins of Khumbulani High School in North End, Port Elizabeth has finally been demolished. The school burnt down in 2010 and the decrepit school grounds became a crime hot spot in North End. The damaged building became a breeding ground for criminal activities such as drug dealing and prostitution. Vagrants who occupied the premises also stole items from … [Read more...] about Derelict crime hotspot school demolished
Court Action to End Lockdown
Help us end this lockdown crisis Dear MyPE Today, the DA announced the court action we are taking to end the national hard lockdown that is tearing our society and economy to pieces. This afternoon, our lawyers will file papers in the High Court challenging the rationality of three separate lockdown-related decisions: the night curfew, the restrictions on e-commerce and the limited 3-hour window for exercise. These cannot be justified and should be immediately reversed. Tomorrow, our … [Read more...] about Court Action to End Lockdown
EC Health Department is broke and cannot rely on Covid-19 funding to bail it out
Dear MyPE The Eastern Cape Department of Health (EC DoH) is in dire need of additional funds to meet its financial commitments, but cannot hope to use national funding, earmarked to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, to pay off its historic debt. A Finance Portfolio Committee meeting, held last week, was unwilling to address the accruals, stating that there was no need to worry about the impact this could have on service delivery, as additional national funding was being made available. The … [Read more...] about EC Health Department is broke and cannot rely on Covid-19 funding to bail it out
National hard lockdown must end
Dear MyPE President Ramaphosa delivered a speech but said very little. Essentially, he doubled down on what has been a tragically flawed approach that has wreaked catastrophic, unnecessary and possibly irreparable damage to our country. South Africa’s economy and society must be opened up now, to save lives and livelihoods from all types of risks, not just Covid. We repeat our call for the national lockdown to end swiftly. It is not a rational strategy, and has not been so for weeks. It … [Read more...] about National hard lockdown must end
Disaster Management Volunteers needed to Prevent Queues of Death
Dear MyPE The government is allowing people to line up and potentially die in “queues of death” that we have recently witnessed across the province. These queues are potential super spreaders of the virus. We need a new strategy that can save lives by preventing the spread of this virus. Municipalities are empowered to use disaster management volunteers in terms of chapter 7 of the Disaster Risk Management Act. The horrifying pictures of people squashed together lining up for grants, … [Read more...] about Disaster Management Volunteers needed to Prevent Queues of Death
Speaker must urgently address Parliamentary Committees Chaos
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thandi Modise, to request that she urgently addresses the current chaos reigning in some of the virtual portfolio committee meetings. Should the Speaker fail to address the issue and not stop Parliament from becoming Constitutionally delinquent in its oversight role, the DA will request an opinion from the Constitutional Court to whom every Parliamentarian swear an oath. The manner in which some … [Read more...] about Speaker must urgently address Parliamentary Committees Chaos
Reopen schools for children under the age of 10 on 1 June
Dear MyPE Civil rights group DearSA has sent a letter to the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, calling on her to reopen schools for all children under the of ten on 1 June 2020. This follows an earlier announcement by the minister that Grade 7 and 12 learners would be able to return to school on 1 June 2020, on the basis they were on the cusp of completing primary and high school, and required special consideration. DearSA’s letter points out that the reason cited for the … [Read more...] about Reopen schools for children under the age of 10 on 1 June
Urgent rollout of broadband needed to assist during Covid-19 crisis
Dear MyPE The Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, must prioritize the rollout of broadband services to hospitals and clinics to help mitigate the impact of the Coronavirus, which is running rampant through the Eastern Cape. The Office of the Premier introduced the broadband project with the aim of connecting government departments, including hospitals and clinics, to high speed ICT infrastructure. Sadly, more than four years have passed and there is little to show for the project which has … [Read more...] about Urgent rollout of broadband needed to assist during Covid-19 crisis
Department of Health must release results of 100 foreign qualified doctors
Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the decision by the Medical and Dental Board (MDB) to convene an urgent meeting in order to deliberate on the results of the 100 foreign qualified doctors who wrote their practical exams in January 2020. These doctors, many of them South Africans, were supposed to receive their results at the end of March. However, the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA) informed them that all MDB board meetings were cancelled due to the … [Read more...] about Department of Health must release results of 100 foreign qualified doctors
