The Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature will consider a report by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) this afternoon on the audit outcomes of provincial departments for the 2011/12 financial year. Below are the speech notes by Bobby Stevenson speaking on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts report on audit outcomes for the 2011/2012 year. There are a number of issues that concern the Democratic Alliance: The need for competency testing; Irregularities in supply … [Read more...] about The Time is Now
bobby stevenson
The attainment of freedom in the 21st century
A multi-party debate will be held in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature this afternoon in celebration of Freedom Day, entitled "The attainment of freedom in the 21st century". Below is an extract of a speech by Bobby Stevenson, DA Legislature Leader, speaking on the debate in the Provincial Legislature on the attainment of freedom in the 21st century. Today South Africa is fighting for a different kind of freedom, a freedom that will allow the average South African the opportunity to … [Read more...] about The attainment of freedom in the 21st century
R1 billion increase in irregular municipal tenders for 2011/12
The recent audit outcomes of local government in the Eastern Cape for the financial year ending 30 June 2012 as contained in the Auditor-General's presentation on Wednesday, 3 April 2013, once again highlights the declining state of municipal finances in our province, which in turn has a negative impact on service delivery. This is particularly so in the case of supply chain management. In the 2009/10 year the total amount of irregular expenditure in supply chain management was R839 million, … [Read more...] about R1 billion increase in irregular municipal tenders for 2011/12
Eastern Cape Provincial budget expectations
The Eastern Cape’s annual budget for 2013/14 will be tabled in the Provincial Legislature in Bhisho tomorrow, 7 March 2013. The provincial budget for the 2013/14 financial year which will be introduced in the Bhisho Legislature by the MEC for Finance and Provincial Planning must set the right environment conducive to creating jobs, reducing poverty and improving service delivery. Until the province is prepared to deal with the bloated an inefficient civil service, it will never have the … [Read more...] about Eastern Cape Provincial budget expectations
Sopa – Premier fails to usher in a new era of accountability
The Democratic Alliance welcomes the commitment of the Premier, Noxolo Kiviet, to the National Development Plan. What is also good news for the province is the number of projects that the Premier highlighted in her speech. However, she failed to project the leadership vision that this province needs. What the DA was expecting was for her to crack the whip and usher in a new culture of accountability in the province. She needed to spell out consequences for the 6 700 teachers who are … [Read more...] about Sopa – Premier fails to usher in a new era of accountability
Eastern Cape SOPA Expectations
Premier Noxolo Kiviet will deliver the Eastern Cape’s annual State of the Province Address in Bhisho tomorrow (Friday, 22 February 2013). The Eastern Cape Premier, Noxolo Kiviet, must spell out how she will firmly take the command of the provincial government and be the leader and decision maker that this province needs to put it on the high road to good governance. The people are crying out for some game changing announcements. Madam Premier, use your State of the Province Address and … [Read more...] about Eastern Cape SOPA Expectations
President must spell out measures to ensure safety of women and children
Urgent steps to bring about improved levels of policing must be announced by President Jacobs Zuma in his State of the Nation Address tomorrow as the first steps in bringing an end to the vicious rape and murder of women and children in our society. We have become a country without a soul in allowing such violence to continue. We lack visible policing and training of police detectives. Furthermore, we lack proper statistical data and research that reflect the actual number of incidents of … [Read more...] about President must spell out measures to ensure safety of women and children
Eastern Cape Unemployment rises by 5.2% to 29.8%
The loss of 69 000 jobs in the last quarter of 2012 is a major setback for the economy of the Eastern Cape and will only add to the massive problem we face with poverty in this province. The Eastern Cape suffered the highest number of job losses of all the provinces. These job losses, coupled with poor service delivery, add to the ticking time bomb of anger that people have with the current government. The government is caught up in an ideological straight jacket which results in them failing … [Read more...] about Eastern Cape Unemployment rises by 5.2% to 29.8%
SAPS called to step-up visible policing in Bay
The Port Elizabeth community has recently been shocked by three gruesome murders of women. The DA is outraged by these crimes, as they are not only a violation of human rights, but strike fear into the hearts of the PE community. Our freedom is being taken away from us by this criminal element. Two weekends ago, 17 year old Sindi Gamada's body was discovered at a graveyard outside Walmer Township. She had been raped, thereafter murdered on Sunday morning. More recently, Saturday … [Read more...] about SAPS called to step-up visible policing in Bay
HOD vacancies a golden opportunity for fresh start in Eastern Cape
The Premier of the Eastern Cape, Noxolo Kiviet, has a golden opportunity to present the provincial administration with a fresh start when she appoints five new heads of department. The Premier must ensure that the HODs that fill these vacancies are fit for purpose. The DA believes they need to have the required leadership ability and experience to hold departmental officials to account for poor performance. They also need to be the best people for the job, and not simply deployed … [Read more...] about HOD vacancies a golden opportunity for fresh start in Eastern Cape
AG disclaims whole province
The disclaimer by the Auditor General on the combined financial statements of the Province for the 2011/12 year is another red light that is flashing when it comes to the state of governance in this Province. The reasons as outlined by the Auditor General are a sad indictment of all that is wrong in this Province. The Auditor General's criticism of the Provincial Leadership is profound "The Provincial Leadership disregarded its oversight responsiblities regarding the implementation and … [Read more...] about AG disclaims whole province
Additional R1.2 billion Eastern Cape adjustments budget welcomed
The Democratic Alliance welcomes the additional funding for Health (R568 million) and Education (R466 million) in the Adjustments Appropriation Bill tabled in the legislature on Tuesday afternoon. This however will not be enough, as the health department will still overspend. Of deep concern is the decline in the equitable share over the next three financial years of R5,1 billion due to the province’s weighted average decreasing, as a result of the new census figures. This has severe … [Read more...] about Additional R1.2 billion Eastern Cape adjustments budget welcomed
Billions lost on surplus teachers
The Eastern Cape has squandered R1, 596 billion annually on surplus teachers despite an undertaking by the Premier two years ago to "move with speed" to deal with the situation. Over a two year period this has amounted to R3, 192 billion. This issue must be viewed in the light of the province’s overall financial position where there is a crying need to improve the efficient and effective allocation of government resources to make this a winning province. This province faces huge challenges … [Read more...] about Billions lost on surplus teachers
Grant Loss of R7,2 billion impacts heavily on Eastern Cape
Under spending on capital expenditure (infrastructure) at both national and provincial level are impacting negatively on the Eastern Cape. The latest shocker has been the withdrawal of R7, 2 billion of the Schools Infrastructure Backlogs Grant (a national programme) by the national treasury due to slow spending. This was announced in the Medium Term Policy Statement (page 43) of the Minister of Finance last week. The vast proportion of this money – in the region of R6, 2 billion - was … [Read more...] about Grant Loss of R7,2 billion impacts heavily on Eastern Cape
Census results wake-up call for Eastern Cape
The critical state of the Eastern Cape has been highlighted in the Census 2011 results by Statistics South Africa. The official rate of unemployment for the Eastern Cape is now an alarming 37.4% and the expanded unemployment rate is 51.2%, which is the highest in the country. This heart rendering figure must be a wake-up call to the Eastern Cape government that it cannot afford to waste one cent on activities that are not geared to improving service delivery and job creation. The fact that … [Read more...] about Census results wake-up call for Eastern Cape
