Politicians, business leaders and analysts in the Eastern Cape have warned of “imminent instability” if President Cyril Ramaphosa does not adequately address the Eskom crisis in his state of the nation (Sona) address. Some critics warned of the possibility of “total collapse” if no workable and adequately funded plans were put in place to deal with the crippling load-shedding, with DA provincial leader Nqaba Bhanga describing the outages as a “time bomb”.
A former Eastern Cape health department messenger has been sentenced to an effective 10 years in jail in a PPE fraud case totalling R23m. The fraudster, Ayanda Matinise, was sent straight to Mthatha’s Wellington prison after his sentencing on Tuesday morning by Mthatha commercial crimes court magistrate Shylock Ndengezi.
Axed Buffalo City Metro Development Agency (BCMDA) CEO Bulumko Nelana has scored yet another court victory over his employer, as the high court in Makhanda on Tuesday ruled that his January 25 axing by the agency’s interim board be reversed. Nelana, who was initially suspended in November, on January 24 obtained a court order declaring his suspension illegal and set aside.
Buffalo City Metro opposition councillors are unhappy about a “top secret” move by the city to buy an executive “blue light” vehicle for council chief whip Sixolisiwe Ntsasela against the advice of its own legal unit. It is understood that Ntsasela was granted the executive vehicle and provided with security in 2022 after her security was allegedly threatened.
The crippling service delivery protests at Komani-based Enoch Mgijima municipality last week, which saw police fire rubber bullets to disperse the volatile crowd, has attracted the attention of the national government. A high powered delegation of senior national government politicians and officials will visit the small town early this week, to listen to community grievances and to find lasting solutions to the ongoing service delivery protests.