The Democratic Alliance has undertaken the second day of Parliament’s Debate on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2026 State of the Nation Address, with critical contributions on state property utilization, educational improvements, electricity sector reform, water supply action in Johannesburg, and the fight to get Nelson Mandela Bay working.
__________________________________________________________________________
I rise to address this House on behalf of the people of the Eastern Cape.
I want to welcome the pronouncement by the Acting Minister on the deployment of SANDF to the Eastern Cape.
This deployment, I hope, will bring an end to the gang violence in Nelson Mandela Bay.
The residents of the Eastern Cape will no doubt be encouraged by this and feel they matter as much as South Africans elsewhere in the country following a march on Monday calling for this deployment.
As a resident of the Eastern Cape, it was unfortunate that the President omitted the Eastern Cape in his State of the Nation Address last week, specifically in relation to the deployment of SANDF.
However, the Eastern Cape is a province of extraordinary resilience.
It is the birthplace of giants, rich in history, culture, and natural beauty.
It is home to agricultural strength, manufacturing potential, world-class ports, and an automotive sector that anchors Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City.
But just because we are resilient does not mean we should be an afterthought, or worse still, ignored entirely.
Nelson Mandela Bay is the economic powerhouse of the Eastern Cape, backed by several powerful industries that employ tens of thousands of people.
It is uniquely positioned with two harbours, including the Nqura deep-water port and the Coega Special Economic Zone.
But a city’s potential cannot be realised without leadership that delivers, budgets that work, and accountability that means something.
Over the last two financial years, Nelson Mandela Bay has sent back more than R1 billion in unspent grant funding.
The current leadership gets money and cannot spend it.
It now faces a further R440 million withdrawal from the national Department of Human Settlements because of severe underspending.
Unforgivable!
The Midterm Performance Report tells the story. The city has only met 16,67% of its basic service delivery targets.
A sure sign of weak and disinterested leadership.
Most recently there was almost city-wide week-long power outage due to the collapse of pylons which had rusted all the way through.
Unemployment remains painfully high. Our youth unemployment is even higher. The latest statistics show that over half our population cannot find work.
Over the past two years, more than 6,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost in Nelson Mandela Bay alone!
Service delivery failures have eroded trust. Councils across the province are collapsing. In many cities and towns, waste collection, reliable power and maintained roads are now only pipe dreams.
In most municipalities, infrastructure is not being replaced or maintained. Criminals constantly vandalise the little functional infrastructure that does exist.
In some areas it is starting to resemble a warzone.
Yet, the current leadership returns money unspent.
Water insecurity is no longer a distant threat, it is the norm. And most of this is caused by inept governments who cannot maintain their infrastructure.
Mr President, imagine a city where you have massive water, electricity and sanitation infrastructure backlogs, where you have the money to address the problem but it is sent back to the fiscus unspent. Imagine having a 70 000-housing unit backlog and you can’t spend the money on building houses for the poor.
This is not a funding problem.
It is a governance problem, a management problem.
Nelson Mandela Bay has seen no less than 48 Municipal Managers since 2009-roughly one every 3 months. Our current City Manager has been suspended, sitting at home since October 2023 earning in excess of R7 Million during this time.
We are witnessing a dangerous brain drain from government, particularly at local level.
In Nelson Mandela Bay, even highly competent senior officials who have delivered financial stability and clean governance have been driven from office by intimidation and political interference.
To get local government working again, we need skilled, nonpartisan engineers. Town planners. Artisans. Plumbers. Electricians. Auditors. People who get the work done, regardless of politics, not because of it.
And we need a new, ethical, values-driven leaders.
Leaders who know what the problems are and are relentless in pursuing them.
We need DA leadership.
Budgets mean nothing without competence.
The President has rightfully acknowledged many of these challenges in his address.
If water is the single most important issue, then let the Eastern Cape see immediate, measurable intervention in failing systems.
If municipal dysfunction is acknowledged, then let professional appointments replace cadre deployment.
If procurement is the root of corruption, then let every tender be transparent, defensible, and free from manipulation.
The fight against corruption must reach municipal offices, procurement units, and those who have treated public resources as personal opportunity.
If organised crime is the greatest threat, then let extortion, cable theft, and construction disruption be met with a well-resourced, intelligence-driven SAPS.
The infrastructure investment programme must translate into working rail, efficient ports, reliable electricity, and maintained water systems in our province as well.
The SME funding must reach township entrepreneurs, not just those connected with politicians.
The EV incentives must support the automotive value chain in our region, protecting and expanding jobs in Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City.
The professionalisation of local government cannot be optional.
The Eastern Cape does not lack talent, it lacks consistent governance.
Imagine what this province could be under a disciplined, ethical, and competent administration.
Imagine a Nelson Mandela Bay that works under a DA-led administration. A city with functioning infrastructure, safe public spaces, efficient port logistics, and thriving small businesses.
Imagine young artisans trained through a reformed skills system feeding directly into manufacturing plants.
Imagine municipal finances managed transparently, with revenue reinvested into maintenance instead of diverted to patronage networks.
These things are possible. The Democratic Alliance has shown what can be achieved through good governance where it governs.
But it requires political will, administrative courage, and relentless oversight.
Honourable President, the Eastern Cape has given this country business and political leaders of formidable stature. We have to stand back for no-one.
Our people are patient, but they will no longer be fooled, they are hopeful, but they are not naïve.
In the end, history will not judge this administration by the elegance of its speeches.
It will judge it by whether taps run, whether streets are safe, whether jobs exist, and whether hope is restored.
The Eastern Cape stands ready to shine. Nelson Mandela Bay stands ready to lead.
What we require is governance that matches our potential. Let us get Nelson Mandela Bay, and the Eastern Cape, working again.
I thank you.
