There will no longer be three-course meals for the more than 1000 guests who have graced the opening of the Provincial Legislature in Bhisho in recent years.
Gone is the pomp and circumstance that usually accompanies the annual event and which has cost the Bhisho Government anywhere between R3.5m and R5m a year.
There will no longer be the tented marquees on the Legislature lawns and the red-carpet treatment for guests, whose numbers are now limited to 650 for the 6th Administration of Oscar Mabuyane from a previous 1200.
The Eastern Cape Government says it hopes to save as much as R2.5m by implementing these measures.
Bhisho Legislature Speaker Helen Sauls-August announced the cost-cutting measures on Thursday, saying that from now onwards SOPA will be held inside the Raymond Mhlaba Chamber in the Bhisho Legislature and not outside in rented marquees as has been the norm.
She said the budget must be between R700 00 and R800 000. "The Legislature will make an estimated savings of R2.5m annually which equates to an estimated saving of R12.5m over the five-year period," she said.
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane welcomed the decision by the Provincial Legislature. "This responsible decision sets moral precedence for the provincial government and teaches both the provincial and local government to prioritize cost containment measures in favour of putting more money into programs that serve the people of the province," he said.
"This decision is important because the opening of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature is about unpacking programs to work with the people of this province to grow our Eastern Cape," Mabuyane concluded
