Thulisile Mapongwana
The State of the Province Address on Thursday by Eastern Cape premier, Oscar Mabuyane, was marked by disruptions by the EFF whose MPLs were ejected from the house, while students and some residents gathered outside seeking an audience with him.
EFF MPL Simthembile Madikizela said they had every right, according to legislature rules, to interrupt proceedings and raise issues of public importance.
"We wanted the Speaker to allow the Premier to address the students and thereafter the province," he said.
Security services were eventually called in to eject the EFF members, who joined angry students from TVET colleges, and Fort Hare and Walter Sisulu Universities outside the heavily-protected Abbotsford Christian Centre.
Delays in the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), allowance payments, unresolved academic exclusions due to late payments by NSFAS, and unsafe residences were some of the issues at the crux of the protest.
Rise Mzansi's provincial convener, Pumla Ngesi, echoed the concerns of the EFF.
She said Mabuyane, who says the province has a good story to tell, was far removed and disconnected from the issues that people face on the ground.
"The proceedings are a reflection of something that has been brewing inside the people for the past 15 years. What we see is a 'disconnect' between the political leaders and the implementers of the policies.
"They write and present good policies for youth and students to NFAS, National Youth Development Agency, but when it comes to implementation no one gets anyone to account for anything. People are frustrated," she said.
Residents from Reeston were also outside the venue hoping to address their housing issues with the premier.
Community member, Zukile Mtotywa said the informal settlement was registered for RDP houses in 2009, and when construction finally began in the 2018/19 financial year, they were hopeful that their prayers had been answered.
"When the housing project was completed in 2021, we saw invaders coming into our houses and alerted the authorities, we have gone to all the relevant departments and no one has given a conclusive answer about our situation."
While angry citizens protested outside, inside the venue Mabuyane spoke of a story of good progress.
"Despite our challenges, we are resilient, we are decent, and we have shown great humanity to each other in the past five years.
Since 2019, we have built close to 100 schools, we have achieved an 80.4% 2023 matric pass rate, and we have worked tirelessly to improve the health profile of our province".
The Premier said the life expectancy for women improved from 56 years in 2001 to 67 years in 2021, while men are also living seven years longer than they were in 2001.
There has been a significant reduction in the number of medico-legal claims from 600 in 2019 to 200 in 2023, with litigation costs decreasing from a range of R2 billion to R450 million in 2022.
Mabuyane noted that in the past five years, they had built over 24,000 houses, with formal dwellings significantly increasing from 48% in 1996 to 83.6% in 2022.
"We also committed to installing 13 electric vehicle charging stations in Komani, Makhanda, Mthatha, Khowa, Maletswai, East London, eQonce, Willowmore, Stormsriver, and Cookhouse.
The vehicle charging stations will be online by May 2024," he said.
Premier Mabuyane also said that the government will be bolstering its effort to tackle teenage pregnancy after the provincial Health department in December revealed that a staggering 553 young girls under the age of 14 gave birth across the province in the last financial year.
