Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Estelle Ellis
Published on 2024-02-22 19:28:59
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has announced that his government will be allocating R60 million to assist 30,000 high-risk families in the province. This was revealed during the current administration’s final State of the Province Address, which was met with disruptions from EFF members and community protests outside the venue in East London.
Despite a 3% decrease in hunger-related deaths between 2017 and 2022, concerns raised by the SA Human Rights Commission led to a call for the declaration of hunger in the province as a disaster. To address these concerns, Mabuyane stated that the government would be investing R60 million to support vulnerable households in anti-poverty sites.
Eastern Cape Social Development MEC Bukiwe Fanta also mentioned that her department had allocated a budget of R6.1 million for food parcels in the 2023/2024 financial year. The theme of Mabuyane’s speech focused on “Seamless progress in building the Eastern Cape we want,” although the EFF accused him of using the address to promote the ANC’s manifesto.
The Premier highlighted the province’s resilience, decency, and unity in facing various challenges, including the Enyobeni Tavern incident, the Covid-19 pandemic, and gender-based violence. While Mabuyane praised the progress in health, education, and infrastructure development, he did not comment on the deteriorating state of the provincial road network and failing municipalities in the Eastern Cape.
The longest-serving member of the Eastern Cape legislature, Bobby Stevenson of the DA, raised concerns about the allocation of R60 million to combat hunger and questioned the funding source. He criticized Mabuyane for not declaring a State of Disaster due to child malnutrition and for neglecting the province’s road infrastructure, which he likened to an impending economic “heart attack.”
Stevenson pointed out that the inadequate maintenance of roads, underfunding, and collapse of local government were contributing to the province’s economic challenges. The Premier acknowledged that the economy was not growing at the desired rate and that unemployment remained high despite expanded social relief programs.
Mabuyane’s failure to fulfill his promise of halving the unemployment rate was highlighted by Stevenson, who noted that the latest statistics revealed a 41.7% unemployment rate in the Eastern Cape, the highest in the country. The province’s unemployment rate had increased by 4.3% since the beginning of Mabuyane’s term.
Overall, the State of the Province Address presented a mixed picture of achievements and challenges facing the Eastern Cape, with a focus on addressing food insecurity, economic growth, and social development. The allocation of funds for vulnerable families was a step towards mitigating the impact of hunger in the province, but concerns about infrastructure, local governance, and unemployment persisted. The discourse between political parties and civil society reflected the complex issues at hand, highlighting the need for comprehensive and sustained efforts to address the multifaceted challenges in the Eastern Cape.
Read the original article on Daily Maverick
