Daily Dispatch
The ‘sound’ of a false note
ADDRESSING a full house of dignitaries and members of the Bhisho Legislature on Friday – all decked out in their finest garb – premier Phumulo Masualle declared that all was well in the Eastern Cape.
“As I stand here today, I’m happy to report that on the whole, the state of our province is sound,” the premier said during his State of the Province Address (Sopa).
It was a colourful affair as the province’s leaders gathered to listen to the premier share his vision for the province and how his administration hoped to achieve that.
Much of his speech was premised on seven priorities as guided by the National Development Plan (NDP): better education; better healthcare; stimulating rural development, land reform and food security; transforming the economy to create jobs; strengthening a development state and good governance; intensifying the fight against crime; and integrating human settlements and building cohesive communities.
Masualle’s basket of goodies included a massive R1-billion revamp of access roads, electrification of areas with no power, muchneeded de-silting of dams and investment in the oceans economy.
Of course no Sopa would be complete without mention of the highly anticipated Umzimvubu Dam project, for which Masualle said a funding model was being concluded between National Treasury and the Department of Water Affairs.
We now eagerly await the policy speeches where Masualle’s executive will expand on these plans. While the premier did mention some of the challenges faced, declaring that the Eastern Cape was “sound” may be something of an overestimation.
The Daily Dispatch just this month alone has reported on a number of issues that speak to a province still battling its inner demons.
It has the highest illiteracy rate in the country for the age group 15 to 34, which means more than 271 000 of our youth cannot read or write. It is the second worst in terms of the number of people aged 25 and younger without a matric certificate. Equal Education recently released a report into the state of 60 schools across the province, which found that more than a quarter of the facilities were not fit for education purposes.
And it is not only education that faces challenges.
At 28.4%, the Eastern Cape’s unemployment rate is above the national average.
Earlier this month the Daily Dispatch reported on the shortage of medical equipment and the dismal state of ambulances and bases at five EMS stations in the province.
The Bhisho Legislature has also rapped the health department over the knuckles for its underspending on the National Health Insurance (NHI) pilot project while also asking for a reportback on the departmental call centre not being operational and the “unacceptable” turnaround times of the Emergency Medical Services.
As citizens of this province, we applaud and recognise the work that is being done. However, we are equally aware of a treacherous road ahead before we can truly declare the Eastern Cape as “sound”.