‘Here’s how I would fix Eastern Cape’
We asked ACDP premier candidate Lance Grootboom:
What strategies does your party propose for addressing job creation in the Eastern Cape, the province with the highest unemployment rate?
We support small businesses by fostering a culture of entrepreneurship through mentoring and start-up funding, skills development and training.
We will link business needs and education and ensure young people have the relevant skills by funding degrees and diplomas that are needed.
We will expand the employment tax incentive for businesses to employ more people, particularly youths.
We will ensure ease of starting a business by reducing red tape and have dedicated onestop business registration centres in the province.
We will remove policy uncertainty such as that relating to land, which deters foreign direct investment.
Cadre deployment and racebased policies that have caused inflated prices and resulted in a “tender-entrepreneur” economy will end.
We will ensure there is fair and equal access to local markets for local owners who compete against increasing numbers of foreign-owned businesses.
Load-shedding will end by ensuring all power stations are properly maintained and performing optimally.
We will prioritise highgrade coal and clean coal technology and support increased renewable energy with independent power producers playing a far greater role in generating additional energy.
How does your party plan to address rising crime?
We will increase police visibility and the capacity of shotspotter technology in crime and gang violence hotspot areas.
We will set up combined operations with the SANDF in areas such as Helenvale where gang-related shootings are out of hand and police are illequipped or under-capacitated.
We will strengthen the police and its intelligence-gathering capacity in the northern areas and townships.
We will support neighbourhood watches, trauma services, drug rehab centres and safe havens for victims of genderbased violence.
We will review the parole system and deny bail for certain categories of crime such as murder, rape, armed robbery and car hijacking.
We will provide more police stations, forensic laboratories, courts (particularly sexual offences courts) and bettertrained and equipped personnel to improve investigations and prosecutions.
We will launch a cable theft task team in the police to work with municipalities.
Despite improvement in the matric pass rate in the Eastern Cape, schools grapple with deep-seated challenges. How does your party intend to provide support to address persistent and historical issues?
We will adopt a world-class education system such as the Cambridge system.
We will repeal the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill provisions relating to home schooling, the closing of rural schools, criminalisation of parents, limitation of the powers of school governing bodies and ministerial over-reach which infringes on the rights of parents.
We will reopen and equip training colleges, improve education standards and the salaries of educators, and reintroduce school inspectors.
We will repeal the 30% pass mark and automatic promotion policies while addressing the dropout rate by having smaller classes and enhancing mother-tongue education.
The healthcare system in the province is ineffective and unreliable. How does your party plan to overhaul it?
Repeal the government’s proposed expropriation of private healthcare through the National Health Insurance legislation and launch a national dialogue on access to universal health care.
We will relaunch mobile clinics to provide services to rural communities.
We will increase the number of 24/7 healthcare facilities near vulnerable communities.
We will increase the number of community-based primary healthcare workers.
We will reduce medico-legal claims against the state by improving public health facilities and services, and the waiting time for diagnosis, procedures and treatments by increasing the numbers of doctors, nurses and administrative staff and ensuring sufficient stock of medicines and other medical supplies.
We will improve the safety of healthcare workers and emergency personnel.