DA slams Premier Mabuyane’s ‘costly, extravagant’ plan to deliver rural Opening of Provincial Legislature Address

31 Jul 2024

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane will deliver his Opening of the Provincial Legislature Address from Ntabankulu in rural Eastern Cape on Thursday, 1 August 2024. So far, the cost of the event, which required extensive travel, has not been divulged, but the ANC’s official opposition in the province, the DA, has vowed to find out the total cost. The provincial economy is currently in recession.

In what the Office of the Speaker explained was a decision to make the provincial legislature more accessible, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane will deliver his Opening of the Provincial Legislature Address in Ntabankulu on Thursday, 31 July 2024.

The spokesperson for Speaker Helen Sauls-August’s office, Lwandile Sicwetsha, said it was a way for the legislature to “live up to its commitment and vision of being an activist People’s Assembly for good governance”.

Sauls-August said the intention of taking the opening of the legislature to a small town was to reignite people’s interest in the legislature’s work.

“The purpose of taking the event is to uphold the vision of the legislature of reconnecting with the people reflecting on our commitments and renew the 30-year social contract with the people in Ntabankulu.”

The event will take place at the multimillion-rand Ntabankulu Multi-Purpose Community Centre, which was handed over to the community just before the election in May this year.

Sicwetsha said they are expecting 1,500 guests.

“The budget costs for the event are shared between the legislature and Office of the Premier, and to hopefully start many joint programmes between the two arms of the state,” he said.

But he would not give further details about the costs. Neither, it seemed, would anybody else who was asked.

Read more: Eastern Cape warns of drastic budget-slashing to meet national government targets

‘Premier is wasting money’

The DA’s Yusuf Cassim said his requests for budget details for the event have been ignored so far.

“Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s plan to host the first State of the Province Address of [the seventh administration] in Ntabankulu is a waste of money and has been preventing the Eastern Cape legislature from fulfilling its core function of holding his executive to account,” Cassim said.

“This event will necessitate significant travel and accommodation expenses for the 72 members of the legislature and associated staff, as well as extensive logistical arrangements for invited guests. Such expenditure is particularly concerning given that the Eastern Cape is currently in an economic recession,” he said.

Read more: It’s official — Eastern Cape economy is in the throes of a recession

“The planning and logistics for this extravagant event have resulted in it being pushed back several times. The latest scheduled date is 1 August 2024, a full 64 days after the elections.

“Not only is the premier wasting money the province does not have, but he has effectively prevented any governmental oversight, as no portfolio committees can sit until after the first Sopa. Internal question papers, a vital tool in holding departments to account, have also been stalled, as no questions can be submitted until the first session of the new term begins, which is after the address.

“The premier has advocated for cost-cutting measures across government departments throughout his previous term in office, yet still sees fit to waste millions on an event while there is a more than suitable venue already at his disposal,” he said.

“I have written to the secretary of the legislature, Nomawethu Ngcakani, to request a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with the upcoming Sopa event.”

While full budget details for the event are not known, the travelling costs alone are bound to be staggering. Ntabankulu is about 500km from East London, 700km from Gqeberha and 379km from Bhisho, where the Eastern Cape legislature is located.

It is understood that MPLs are paid R6 per km travelled and that both MPLs and legislature staff receive stipends of close to R1,000 for being out of town. Most MPLs left for the sitting on Wednesday as they have to stay in towns around Ntabankulu like Mount Fletcher.

The decision to host the event in Ntabankulu comes as the province finds itself in deep crisis. Unemployment has increased from 37.4% in 2019 to 42% and expanded unemployment currently stands at 49%.

For the 2023 Sopa, portable toilets had to be found in a hurry after extended water outages hit Bhisho.

Mabuyane’s Sopa in February 2024 was disrupted by the EFF, which protested against the premier’s “electioneering”.

Service delivery issues

The Ntabankulu Municipality has made significant developmental progress since 2011 but service delivery statistics remain low. According to the 2011 Census, only 2.7% of people had piped water. The 2022 Census shows this number has increased to 28.8%. Weekly refuse removal has increased from 4% to 19.6%, and residents with access to flush toilets from 2.2% to 19.6%.

However, it still has severely damaged roads, communities without ready access to health facilities, and is a hotspot for learner transport challenges and the sanitation crisis at schools.

Read more: Pupils describe the long walk to school, amid fight for scholar transport in rural Eastern Cape

Last year the Eastern Cape government did hand over the state-of-the-art Sipetu Hospital to the community. The area is of great concern to the Eastern Cape Health Department because of the high numbers of teenage pregnancies.

During construction, the hospital project was cited by the Auditor-General for its poor project management and default interest of R841,805 that became due after the province failed to pay the contractor in time.

Read more: Service delivery collapse: ‘Gatvol’ Eastern Cape resident reports provincial-wide failures

Ntabankulu was included in the Public Protector’s damning report on systemic service delivery failures in the province with a finding made that it was in contravention of the Constitution for the provision of water and sanitation, accessible roads and bridges and other essential services. DM

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‘Premier is wasting money’

Service delivery issues