bobby stevenson

Dear MyPE Non-metro municipalities have shown a continued regression on water losses, increasing from 49.1% in 2016 to 51.2% in 2017. Municipal income from water declined from 44.5% to 38.5% during the same period. This is money down the drain. This is in contrast to the steady progress that has been made in Nelson Mandela Bay. In the recent response received from the Eastern Cape Department of Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism MEC, Lubabalo Oscar … [Read more...] about Municipal water losses – money down the drain

Dear MyPE The Eastern Cape Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison, together with the SAPS, are failing to take steps to ensure that we recruit police reservists. The decline in the number of police reservists between 2015/16 and 2018/19 of 34% is simply not good enough. This is a decline of 685 reservists down from 2017 in 2015/16 to 1332 in 2018/19. The cry from our communities is for safety and ridding our communities of the criminal element. The DA believes that fighting … [Read more...] about 34% decline in EC police reservists

Dear MyPE The local police station in every community is the first line of defence against criminals. However, over the past seven years, a staggering R225.6-million was paid out for civil claims against the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Eastern Cape. Over the past two years, the numbers remained high, with 1 150 claims costing the province R73.2-million. Communities want to be able to trust the police unconditionally and feel safe and protected in an orderly environment. What a … [Read more...] about The Staggering Level of EC Civil Claims Against SAPS

Dear MyPE Today, two members of the Democratic Alliance, namely Andrew Whitfield and Nomvano Zibonda, were sworn in as members of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. Nomvano Zibonda is 32-years of age and now becomes the youngest member of the legislature. Andrew Whitfield, at 35 years of age, also highlights the DA’s commitment to recognising the importance of the youth. Andrew Whitfield is the Provincial Chairperson of the DA in the Eastern Cape and a former member of the Mayoral … [Read more...] about Two new Youth MPLs Sworn in During Youth month

Dear MyPE The growing number of violent protests in the Eastern Cape is symptomatic of the failure of the ANC-government to deliver services and at the same time take firm action to prevent the violent nature of these protests. On the one hand the ANC-government is failing to deliver services and on the other hand, it is failing to maintain law and order. The government’s inaction in both areas is fuelling the violent nature of these protests. According to a reply to a legislature … [Read more...] about Why Protests are Increasingly Violent

Dear MyPE There were 1 745 service delivery protests in communities across the Eastern Cape in the last three financial years according to the provincial Department of Safety and Liaison. For the same period, the South African Police Service (SAPS) logged “crowd management incidents” which included a total of 2 991 scenes classified as a “peaceful crowd”, 1 216 cases of “crowd unrest” and a further 754 incidents of “other unrest”. This year, the trend is definitely upward again. In a … [Read more...] about Poor service delivery leading to lawlessness

Dear MyPE The slow payment to suppliers of the Eastern Cape government continues to silently kill small businesses. Despite all interventions, the province is still struggling to make payments on time. Although some improvement has been made, it is simply not good enough. In the reply to a legislature question that I asked the former MEC of Finance, Sakhumzi Somyo, in April 2018, a total of 5 503 businesses in the Eastern Cape were owed to over R311 million in excess of 30 days as at … [Read more...] about Slow EC provincial payments is still a silent killer for small businesses

Dear MyPE The Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of 2018 (January to March) was released by Statistics South Africa today - Tuesday, 15 May 2018. The Eastern Cape remains the province with the highest unemployment rate in the country. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Statistics South Africa today, unemployment in the province increased to 35.6 % from 35.1% in the fourth quarter of 2017 (October to December). The hardship of unemployment is … [Read more...] about Increase in joblessness will result in more chaos and disorder

Dear MyPE The Eastern Cape Premier, Phumulo Masualle, announced changes to his Provincial Executive Council this afternoon. The shuffling of the factional deckchairs on the ANC-Titanic is going to do nothing for political stability and service delivery in the Eastern Cape. With some in the ANC still questioning the legality of the PEC and others questioning the legitimacy of a “defiant” Masualle, we are in for a continued battle royal. No province can move forward if MECs and the … [Read more...] about EC cabinet shuffle a continued battle royal

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance welcomes the commitment of the SAPS to establish a Beachfront SAPS Sector in the Humewood policing area of Port Elizabeth. This emerged in an answer to a written question to the MEC for Safety and Liaison, Weziwe Tikana. A dedicated beachfront sector in the Humewood policing area will go a long way to improve the safety and security on the Port Elizabeth beachfront. This is of particular importance for tourism and job creation. The Ward two … [Read more...] about Humewood beachfront SAPS sector critical for tourist safety

Dear MyPE The frightening 50% increase in Eastern Cape farm attacks in the 2017/2018 financial year compared with the 2016/2017 financial year, highlights the vulnerability of our rural communities as well as the urgent need for innovative law enforcement strategies to safe guard the rural heart lands of our province. Same old same old is not working! In the 2016/2017 financial year there were 26 farm attacks, and in the 2017/2018 financial year there were 39 attacks. This information was … [Read more...] about Fifty Percent Increase in EC Farm Attacks

Dear MyPR The fact that the guns used in last month’s deadly attack on the Ngcobo police station had been stolen from the South African Police Service (SAPS) is a tragic wakeup call to the dangers of unsecured weapons to all citizens in the Eastern Cape. It is a double tragedy that the firearms belonging to the SAPS were used against its members. Every effort must be taken by the SAPS to ensure that police firearm are safeguarded and recovered. Every lost or stolen firearm becomes a … [Read more...] about Deadly Weapons in the Hands of Criminals

Dear MyPE The government in the Eastern Cape is continuing to kill small businesses by not paying them within 30 days. Small businesses are the backbone of growing the economy and have the potential to create 90% of new jobs. Our broken payment system needs to be fixed. According to a reply to a legislature question I asked Finance MEC Sakhumzi Somyo in October last year, 7 269 businesses in the Eastern Cape are owed a total of R466-million in excess of 30 days. The slow payments to … [Read more...] about Slow Payments are Killing Small Business