bobby stevenson

Dear MyPE Consumers owed Eastern Cape municipalities a massive R8.2-billion at the end of the fourth quarter of the municipal financial year (ended 30 June 2016). The poor state of the economy in the Eastern Cape is biting hard. In June 2015, this figure stood at R7-billion. In December 2015 this figure stood at R7.7-billion. It is clear that debt owed to our municipalities is increasing at the frightening rate of R600-million every six months. This is threatening the financial viability … [Read more...] about Debt owed to municipalities climbs to R8.2-billion

Dear MyPE The improvement of audit outcomes for provincial departments and public entities is a step forward for the Eastern Cape, but the journey to clean audits still has a long way to go. According to an announcement by the Premier, Phumulo Masualle, only a third, or two of the 13 provincial departments and six out of the 11 public entities in the Eastern Cape received clean audits.  (eight out of 24) In contrast, in 2014/15, the Western Cape received clean audits in 80% - or 20 out … [Read more...] about Improved provincial audit outcomes a step forward on a long journey

Dear MyPE The DA stands in solidarity with the SAPS as we observe the National Commemoration Day today for members who lost their lives in the line of duty during the past year. One policeman killed, is one too many.  Our brave policemen- and women are our frontline against the criminal element.  In the last financial year (2015/16), a total of 40 police officers died on duty nationally.  In the previous year (2014/15) the total was 73, of which ten officers were from the Eastern … [Read more...] about One policeman killed is one too many

Dear MyPE The high murder rate (up 9.9% from 3 321 in 2014/15 to 3 649 in 2015/16), carjacking (up 24.3% from 769 in 2014/15 to 956 in 2015/15) and truck hijacking (up 58.8% from 34 in 2014/15 to 54 in 2015/16), along with the high rate of other crimes in this province, highlights the need for the SAPS to have a fresh approach to reducing crime. These figures continue to strike fear into the hearts and minds of people when it comes to issues of their personal safety. To make great … [Read more...] about EC Crime Stats 2015/2016

Dear MyPE The two-day provincial cabinet lekgotla needs to take note that there is a growing, groundswell, demand for change in the Eastern Cape. It cannot be business as usual. This is a clear message from the municipal elections. The provincial lekgotla needs to spell out in clear and unambiguous terms how they are going to deal with consequence management. This is the bleeding underbelly of the province. There are no consequences for poor performance. Linked to this, is the whole … [Read more...] about EC provincial cabinet lekgotla must deal with poor consequence management

Dear MyPE There is a clear distinction between the DA-approach to fighting crime in Nelson Mandela Bay compared with that of the ANC. According to an answer to a question for oral reply I asked last week in the legislature to Safety and Liaison MEC Weziwe Tikana, there are no plans to establish an anti-gang and drug unit as part of the Metro Police in the municipality. This approach is short-sighted and not fair to Nelson Mandela Bay. You can’t fight gangsterism with one hand tied behind … [Read more...] about No anti-gang and -drug unit for Nelson Mandela Bay, says MEC

Dear MyPE The big jump in the unemployment rate for the Eastern Cape is a bitter blow, the pain of which will be felt in people's stomachs as they battle to put food on the table. According to today's Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate is up from 27.4% in the fourth quarter of 2015 to 28.6% and the expanded unemployment rate now stands at 44.5%, up from 40.3% in the previous quarter - the largest increase in the country, of 4.2 percentage points. The focus of local and … [Read more...] about Sad jump in EC unemployment

Dear MyPE The DA believes that the provincial department of Safety and Liaison must take up the cudgels on behalf of our much-neglected police reservists to ensure the completion of firearm competency training. This will drastically assist in the fight to create safer communities as they cannot patrol without undergoing this training. Any government that is serious about crime fighting would pull out all stops to get our Bobbies on the Beat. In a recent response to a question posed to … [Read more...] about Under 7% of police reservists have completed firearm testing

Dear MyPE The poor state of the economy in the Eastern Cape is beginning to bite hard and is threatening the financial viability of municipalities with debt owed to municipalities up a staggering 45% or R2, 146-billion when one compares December 2015 with December 2014. A massive total of R7,781 443-billion is now owed by consumers to municipalities in the Eastern Cape. Government departments owe a whopping R392-million. This emerged from a quarterly report on the state of municipal … [Read more...] about R2,146-billion in Debt owed to EC municipalities

Dear MyPE The fight for a well-resourced flying squad so we can make Port Elizabeth a safer city for all is not yet over. On Friday I, together with my colleague on the Provincial Portfolio Committee of Safety and Security, Marshal von Buchenroder MPL, paid an unannounced oversight visit to the Port Elizabeth flying squad to determine the real truth relating to the type and availability of vehicles following the contradiction between the MEC for Safety Liaison Weziwe Tikana’s reply and … [Read more...] about PE Flying squad: oversight visit reveals no high-performance vehicles

Dear MyPE The underlying causes of the water crisis that has hit the capital of this province -- Bhisho -- since Friday need to be resolved and action taken as a matter of urgency, otherwise we are going to be branded as the capital of NO WORKS, as people have to work from home The Department of Roads and Public Works needs to facilitate an audit of the aging infrastructure impacting on our capital city in conjunction with Buffalo City Municipality and Amathole District Municipality, as … [Read more...] about East Cape’s capital of no works unless water crisis is resolved

Dear MyPE The flying squad in Port Elizabeth only has three operating vehicles today (one came out of the garage yesterday), according to information that I have received. This is in stark contrast to a reply I received on 4 March 2016 from the MEC for Safety and Liaison, Weziwe Tikana, stating that the flying squad has 11 vehicles of which six are in the garage. I am also informed that the flying squad currently has no operational high-performance vehicles, whereas the reply says there … [Read more...] about Only three flying squad vehicles on road in PE

Dear MyPE The DA welcomes the move for provincial treasury to approve all staff appointments for all departments in the province.  This must also be extended to the public entities. Currently, the bloated bureaucracy accounts for 65% of all provincial expenditure. Centralising staff appointments under the control of treasury is only one part of the job.  The other part entails having the political will to make tough decisions to reduce the wage will. This year the wage bill is going … [Read more...] about Support for move to centralise civil servant appointments