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Letters to the Editor

Makana judgment shows value of civic activism

Makan BS

Dear MyPE The Eastern Cape government must intervene immediately as court ordered, says OUTA. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) commends the commitment to social justice by the Unemployed People’s Movement and its legal team which resulted in a court order forcing the dissolution of the incompetent and corrupt Makana council. On 14 January, the High Court in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) ordered the Eastern Cape government to dissolve the Makana Local Municipality council, appoint an administrator until a new council is elected, and implement the financial recovery plan …

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Shocking livestock death toll on EC Govt’s experimental farms a grave concern

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE Shocking revelations that hundreds of animals have died at the Eastern Cape Government’s six experimental farming facilities, have come to light. This raises serious questions around the care and possible neglect at these facilities. The province currently has six experimental farms, focusing on animal, pasture and crop sciences, namely the Dohne A.D.I; Bathurst R.C; Adelaide R.F; Cradock R.C; Wolwehoek R.F; Jansenville R.F and the Mthatha Dam. All these facilities, except for the Mthatha Dam, have livestock on premises, ranging from Nguni cattle and merino sheep to …

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Cele’s move to disarm law abiding citizens condemned

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes the reckless comments made by Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, with regards to firearm ownership in South Africa. Speaking on the leaked Firearms Control Amendment Bill, the Minister is quoted as saying “…individuals should not have firearms” and that allowing citizens to own multiple firearms contributed to security issues. Instead of allowing Parliament to deal with this matter the Minister has chosen to pour fuel on an already emotive issue. The Firearms Control Act allows individuals to own more than one firearm for specific purposes and …

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Judgement to dissolve Makana Council welcomed

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape welcomes the judgement in the Makhanda High Court ordering the Makana municipal council to be dissolved and a new administrator appointed until a new council is elected. The DA has on numerous occasions called for the council to be dissolved so that fresh elections can be held and the people can vote in a government that is actually capable of bringing change to Makana. The current failing ANC government has run this once prosperous municipality into the ground. Years of maladministration, the total collapse of service …

Judgement to dissolve Makana Council welcomedRead More

Best Wishes to Teachers and Learners for 20Plenty

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape wishes all teachers and learners well for the 2020 school year. We hope that you will continue building on the success achieved by the Class of 2019, who improved on the matric pass rate in the province from 70,6% in 2018 to 76,5% in 2019. The number of bachelor's passes also increased from 27,4% to 32,3% in 2019. Education is a passport to a new, brighter future. We are excited for the children who are beginning this journey and going to school for the first time this year, as well as for those who are starting the high school …

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Dropout rate still a concern

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) wants to congratulate all Grade 12 pupils from the Eastern Cape who passed the 2019 National Senior Certificate (NSC) and contributed to a massive increase in the province’s pass rate. Eastern Cape learners performed incredibly well and due to their hard work and the tireless work of educators the pass rate increased from 70,6% in 2018 to 76,5% in 2019. The number of bachelor's passes also increased from 27,4% to 32,3% in 2019. We applaud the hard work, determination and sacrifices made by the learners, educators and parents through trying …

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Excessive Noise Pollution in Richmond Hill

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE, I wish to complain about the noise emanating from No. 2 Slater Street, or 5 Frederick Street, on the last 4 Sunday evenings as well as on December 31st. The party appears to start at 22h00 on the Sunday, and continues until 2h00 the next morning. Who provides a license for these hours on a Sunday night? The noise from the premises is excessive during their open time and they close on the dot at 2h00, which suggests that they have been given a permit to operate until this time. Was any consideration given to the residents in the area on the Hill that overlooks these …

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Well Done @NMandelaBaymuni

Fresh Water - Booysens Park Reservoir

Dear MyPE With reference to the fresh water running into the Chatty River as reported to MyPE earlier this month (See: Message for @NMandelaBaymuni – Take the Log out your own eye) I am pleased to inform you that the water was off today Now to get rid of the Rsole that keeps doing this... Regards Biker for Water …

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Message for @NMandelaBaymuni – Take the Log out your own eye

Fresh Water - Booysens Park Reservoir

Dear MyPE The above image shows fresh water (we could smell the chlorine) running out of a reservoir into the Chatty River. the reservoir is off of Rietkuil Road which can be reached from Stanford Road just after the Booysens Park Road Turnoff. As a regular traveler through the area I can confirm that this new travesty has been going on for at least a few days now. I wonder if this has been reported or not AND, if it has been reported just why it has taken our local Monkeypality so long to attend to this flagrant waste of fresh water. In the past I have reported this on many …

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Proposed EMS strike could cause untold harm to EC residents

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance is alarmed by a voice clip circulating in the Eastern Cape which states that Emergency Medical Services in the province will down tools from tomorrow (Wednesday, 11 December 2019). If the proposed strike of EMS personnel goes ahead, the Department will have blood on its hands as a result of its administrative failures and lack of concern for its own staff. The DA understands that the proposed illegal strike is as a result of the failure of the Department of Health to settle long-outstanding overtime debt, which accumulated between 2003 and …

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Today we stand in front of a different ruin to Cyril

Letters to the Editor

The following remarks were made today by DA Leader, John Steenhuisen MP, outside Eskom’s Megawatt Park in Johannesburg. Steenhuisen was joined by DA Gauteng Caucus Leader, Solly Msimanga MPL, DA Gauteng Chairperson, Mike Moriarty MPL, and Public Enterprises Spokesperson, Ghaleb Cachalia MP: Fellow South Africans, Yesterday evening Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC government once again made history, albeit for the wrong reasons, as Eskom announced it would implement Stage 6 rolling blackouts for the first time. This unprecedented move signalled that we are now firmly in a race against time to …

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Massive reservist decline is a blow to community safety

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE The number of reservists in the Eastern Cape SAPS, has declined to a third of what it used to be, resulting in a massive blow to community safety in the province. The Department of Safety and Liaison, together with SAPS in the Eastern Cape, are failing to take bold measures to ensure that we recruit police reservists to beef up the war against crime. There are thousands of volunteers out there. Let’s harness the energy of the whole of society, working together to restore trust in SAPS and plug the safety vacuum. In response to parliamentary questions, Safety MEC, Weziwe …

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The writing is on the wall for Eskom and our economy

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE Eskom is implementing stage 4 loadshedding until 6am tomorrow. COO Jan Oberholzer says this is due to the fact that there has been no proper maintenance over the past ten years. Despite the dire warnings, the writing on the wall, the increased tariffs, the failed interventions, all plans have failed. South Africans in all walks of life are carrying this burden. Businesses are buckling because of this. Our key public enterprises are clearly unable to deliver public goods. Despite 55 days of coal stock levels, the entity is unable to plan for adverse weather. This …

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Immediate action needed to resolve electricity crisis

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has today written to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, demanding that he take immediate steps to address the worsening electricity crisis in our country. With Eskom having announced stage 4 loadshedding, the Minister must prioritize procuring alternative sources of electricity and opening the grid to independent power producers (IPPs). Among the primary causes of Eskom's problems is the fact that not a single generation unit at Khusile, which has taken 8 years to build and cost approximately R200 billion, is …

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Parliament and Public Works must stop the blame shifting and pay their Eskom debts

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken note of reports indicating that Parliament owes Eskom R17 000 in debt. Parliamentary Spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo have since denied that Parliament owes Eskom, arguing that Parliament’s buildings, which include the parliamentary precinct and villages that accommodate Members of Parliament in Cape Town, are under the management of the Department of Public Works. Essentially stating that Public Works and not Parliament has an electricity account with Eskom, therefore, Parliament cannot owe or be in arrears with the power utility. This is in …

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Unemployed youth could help overburdened teachers

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE Unemployed youth, that are appropriately qualified in Maths, Science and Languages, could assist with a tutoring programme in the Eastern Cape, along the same lines as in the Western Cape. These tutors would provide much needed assistance by helping schools battling with teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms. These youths could also provide valuable additional tutorage to learners in the Eastern Cape, thus improving on overall learner performance and reducing drop outs. The Eastern Cape has an expanded unemployment rate of 45.6% and at the same time is battling …

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Concern over escalating crisis at CricketSA

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken note of developments at CricketSA (CSA) over the past number of weeks. While we would never want to involve politics in the daily running of sport organisations, we also cannot sit on the sideline and see one of South Africa’s beloved sports seemingly embroiled in a crisis. It has become abundantly obvious that CSA CEO, Thabang Moroe, is not fit for office, and may not have the necessary aptitude or experience to run the organisation. The DA is therefore of the view that Moroe must do the right thing and resign before it is too …

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Stick to your guns on SAA business rescue, even if it means going against the unions

Letters to the Editor

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) applauds the press release by the DA Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Alf Lees MP, which charts a potential strategy for South African Airways amidst the Business Rescue process. In line with this, we welcome the belated move by President Ramaphosa to place SAA under Business Rescue – better late than never! The DA believes this will, however, herald an upcoming battle with the unions which speaks to a central issue that bedevils all public enterprises. Under SAA’s Business Rescue, this nettle will have to be grasped and we …

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