LETTER

Statement by Cllr Bettie Lawens – DA Inxuba Yethemba Mayoral Candidate:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for a comprehensive forensic investigation after National Treasury announced its decision to temporarily withhold the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality’s July 2026 equitable share allocation.

The municipality currently owes Eskom R930 million, while the latest audited financial statements reveal R53.8 million in irregular expenditure and R68.8 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

These figures represent money taken from basic service delivery for the people of Inxuba Yethemba.

National Treasury has correctly moved to enforce financial discipline. This step shows that National Government will finally take action against failing ANC municipalities and force political accountability. The ANC’s financial delinquency in Inxuba Yethemba must stop, the rot cannot continue as it is the residents who suffer.

However, the DA insists that withholding funds alone is not enough.

We will therefore write to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Zolile Williams, requesting that he demands the following immediate interventions by the municipality:

• A full forensic investigation into all irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure, with criminal charges pursued against officials and politicians implicated in the looting.
• The establishment of a credible Financial Recovery Plan.
• Full disclosure to Council of all debt repayment schedules and monthly expenditure reports.
• The suspension of all officials involved in repeat unauthorised, irregular, and wasteful expenditure pending the outcome of disciplinary processes.

While the DA is concerned about the potential short-term impact on service delivery, we place the blame on the ANC leadership that has driven this municipality into financial ruin through cadre deployment, corruption, and incompetence.

The DA will continue to lead the fight for clean governance and will not rest until accountability is enforced and the people of Inxuba Yethemba receive the responsible, transparent local government they deserve.

The residents deserve better and on 4 November they can vote for better. They can vote for a DA government that will get Inxuba Yethemba working.

Statement by Cllr Bettie Lawens – DA Inxuba Yethemba Mayoral Candidate:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on the Provincial Government to intervene after the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality adopted an unlawful and unfunded budget for the 2026/27 financial year.

The municipality has approved spending that it cannot afford, placing service delivery and the municipality’s financial sustainability at risk. This is in direct contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).

The MFMA is clear that a municipal budget must be funded from realistically anticipated revenue, cash-backed reserves, and lawful borrowing for capital projects.

A budget based on unrealistic assumptions, overestimated revenue, or inadequate cash backing does not comply with the law and places the municipality, its residents, and its creditors at risk.

At Tuesday’s Council meeting, the majority of councillors rejected the unfunded budget. Council then resolved to convene a special council meeting on 9 July.

However, later that same night, while most councillors were asleep, the Speaker was summoned by nine ANC councillors to convene a special Council meeting at 22:00. During this late-night meeting, the unfunded budget was unlawfully approved.

The rules of order of Council are very clear that a notice should be sent at least seven days before any ordinary meeting of Council and at least 48 hours before any special council meeting. These rules were clearly simply ignored.

The DA has written to the Speaker, informing her that the late-night special council meeting was unlawful. We have also written to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Zolile Willams, and Provincial Treasury to report the unlawful adoption of the unfunded budget through procedurally flawed processes.

The Inxuba Yethemba Municipality is a repeat offender, with its 2025/26 annual budget currently subject to ongoing court proceedings. The Speaker of Council is reportedly already in contempt of court for failing to bring the matter back before Council as directed.

The DA has, on numerous occasions, written to the Speaker and raised the issue in Council meetings regarding the court order that instructed the Speaker to convene a special Council meeting within 30 days. However, the ANC-led municipality has failed to comply with the court order, which has effectively been ignored.

The DA believes that the residents of Inxuba Yethemba Municipality deserve an honest, disciplined and responsible government that will get Inxuba Yethemba working.

Statement by Heinrich Müller MPL – Shadow MEC for Agriculture:

The recent arrest of two suspects in connection with the theft of 21 sheep and two goats near Qumbu is a welcome breakthrough, but it also highlights an important lesson in the fight against stock theft. The animals were successfully returned to their owner because they had been branded, allowing police to identify them quickly.

The DA commends the South African Police Service (SAPS) members involved in this successful operation. Every recovered animal represents a livelihood protected and a family spared further hardship.

Yet this success cannot distract from the scale of the crisis. Nationally, more than 43,000 livestock animals were reported stolen during the first three months of 2026, while the Eastern Cape remains one of the country’s hardest-hit provinces, with ten police stations ranking among South Africa’s top thirty for stock theft.

For commercial, emerging and subsistence farmers alike, stock theft destroys income, threatens food security, undermines confidence in rural communities and places additional pressure on an agricultural sector that is already battling rising input costs.

This case demonstrates that livestock branding is one of the simplest and most effective tools available to assist investigations and recover stolen animals. More farmers must be supported to brand their livestock correctly, while law enforcement must continue strengthening specialised stock theft investigations and intelligence-driven operations.

I will write to Agriculture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe requesting the urgent rollout of a provincial livestock identification and branding support programme, coupled with a formal partnership between the Department of Agriculture, the SAPS, organised agriculture and emerging farmer organisations to expand branding, farmer awareness, and coordinated stock theft prevention across the Eastern Cape.

Protecting our livestock means protecting rural jobs, food security and the future of agriculture in the Eastern Cape.

The DA will continue to press for decisive action to protect farmers. The people of this province deserve leadership that prioritises safety, opportunity, and dignity for all.

Statement by Jane Cowley MPL – DA Shadow MEC for Health:

Recent photographs of broken windows, boarded doors, and makeshift repairs at Cradock Hospital have exposed the ongoing infrastructure decay in Eastern Cape public hospitals.

Patients should not be expected to recover in facilities where basic maintenance has been allowed to collapse. Broken windows, unsafe entrances, damaged buildings, and poorly maintained wards compromise patient dignity, undermine staff morale, and place further strain on an already overburdened health system.

The Democratic Alliance has submitted parliamentary questions to the Eastern Cape MEC for Health, Ntandokazi Capa, to establish how much funding has been allocated under the Infrastructure Programme for urgent repairs at Cradock Hospital, and what timeframes have been set for the completion of these repairs.

Cradock Hospital is one example of a much wider failure. Across the province, public hospitals continue to suffer from collapsing infrastructure and failing basic services.

The Infrastructure Programme within the Eastern Cape Department of Health has repeatedly failed to deliver the maintenance, planning, procurement discipline, and consequence management required to keep health facilities safe and functional.

Despite this, the Infrastructure Programme received a substantial budget increase in the current financial year, while critical frontline programmes such as District Health Services and Hospital Services faced budget cuts.

This raises serious questions about the Department’s priorities. Funding cannot continue to be channelled into a programme that fails to maintain hospitals, while services directly linked to patient care are placed under further pressure.

The Department of Health must focus its resources and leadership on its core mandate of providing adequate, accessible, and effective health services. Where infrastructure functions are failing within the Department, the MEC must account for why these functions remain there rather than being placed where they can be properly managed and monitored.

Patients in the Eastern Cape deserve hospitals that support their recovery. They deserve wards with proper windows, bathrooms with working toilets, lifts that function, and buildings that are safe for patients, staff, and visitors.

Statement by Horatio Hendricks MPL – DA Shadow MEC for Education:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is deeply concerned that another Eastern Cape school is facing closure due to the provincial Department of Education’s failure to meet its obligations.

Hoërskool Middelburg has issued an urgent notice informing parents that the school will close from Monday, 18 May 2026, until further notice. According to the notice, the school has paid more than R700 000 in salaries since 2025 because the Department failed to appoint and pay educators as required. The School governing Body (SGB) states that it can no longer bear this burden without compromising the school’s operational integrity.

The DA does not support the unlawful closure of schools. Learners must never be used as bargaining chips in disputes between SGBs and the Department.

This position is consistent with the Department’s response to the recent closure of Humansdorp High School, in which the Department condemned the unlawful closure, reopened the school, and said it had moved to revoke the SGB’s powers. The Department stated that the closure violated the BELA Act, the South African Schools Act, and the Constitution.

The looming closure of Hoërskool Middelburg must therefore be treated with urgency. The Department cannot allow another school to reach the point where an SGB believes closure is its only option. The correct response is not only to address the legality of a closure after the fact, but also to intervene before learners are affected.

At the same time, the Department cannot create the conditions for these closures and then place the full burden of the crisis on school governing bodies. If schools are being forced to use limited funds to pay salaries that should be funded by the Department, this points to a serious failure in planning, budgeting, post provisioning, or payment administration.

I will write to the Chairperson of the Education Portfolio Committee to request that the Head of Department, Sharon Maasdorp, be summoned to account for the Department’s handling of school closures linked to non-payment, educator vacancies, and SGB-funded posts. The Committee must receive a full report on all schools where SGBs have had to pay for posts that should be funded by the Department, the amounts involved, and the steps being taken to prevent further closures.

I will also submit parliamentary questions to determine why the Department has allegedly failed to meet these obligations, the total amount outstanding to Hoërskool Middelburg and other affected schools, when these payments are expected to be processed, and what steps are being taken to prevent SGBs from carrying salary costs that should be borne by the Department.

The Eastern Cape’s education system cannot rely on SGBs to absorb costs that arise from departmental failures. When schools are forced to use limited funds to pay salaries, the consequences are ultimately borne by learners, parents, teachers, and school communities.

The HOD must act before Monday’s closure takes effect. The priority must be to keep learners in class, resolve outstanding obligations, and ensure that no other school is placed in the same position.

Statement by Horatio Hendricks MPL – DA Shadow MEC for Education:

The fire damage at JA Calata Senior Secondary School in Nxuba has exposed the devastating consequences of abandoned and underfunded school infrastructure projects in the Eastern Cape.

According to reports brought to the attention of DA councillors today, the school was ravaged by fire following alleged arson attacks after contractors reportedly abandoned the site due to non-payment by the Eastern Cape Department of Education.

Once work stopped and the site was left unsecured, the unfinished infrastructure became vulnerable to vandalism, theft, and ultimately destruction, while learners were displaced and additional pressure was placed on neighbouring schools forced to absorb the overflow.

The Democratic Alliance will write to the Chairperson of the Provincial Education Portfolio Committee requesting a full report on the circumstances surrounding the abandonment of the JA Calata project, the alleged non-payment of contractors, security failures at the site, and the growing number of stalled infrastructure projects across the province.

The destruction at JA Calata cannot be dismissed as an isolated incident. It reflects a broader infrastructure crisis within the Department of Education.

In response to parliamentary questions from the DA, the Department confirmed that 138 infrastructure projects identified for the 2025/26 financial year were reduced to just 86 projects due to budget constraints, while 52 projects were deferred to future years.

The Department further confirmed that only six projects have been completed during the current financial year, while 35 remain under construction and 22 projects have been suspended or terminated.

Even more alarming is the Department’s admission that R154 million has already been spent on terminated projects across the province.

Parliamentary replies also revealed that not a single new brick-and-mortar school has been constructed in the Eastern Cape over the past five years.

These failures have real consequences for learners. Schools remain overcrowded, projects stand abandoned for years, communities are left with incomplete infrastructure, and public assets become vulnerable to vandalism and destruction.

The Department must account for how many other school projects are currently exposed to similar risks, what security measures are in place at abandoned construction sites, and how many learners continue to be affected by stalled infrastructure delivery.

Learners in the Eastern Cape deserve safe schools, functional classrooms, and a government capable of completing infrastructure projects instead of leaving them to collapse into ruin.

Statement by Horatio Hendricks MPL – DA Shadow MEC for Education:

The closure of schools in Cradock, including Carinus Primary, due to escalating safety concerns, signals a deepening crisis in the Eastern Cape education system that cannot be ignored. When schools are forced to shut their doors, it is a collapse of the basic duty to provide safe, functional learning environments.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to the MEC for Education to demand immediate intervention, a full report on the circumstances that led to the closure of these schools, and urgent action against any official, including the Head of Department, who neglected their responsibility to protect learners and staff.

For learners, parents, and educators, these closures mean uncertainty, lost teaching time, and growing anxiety about safety. Children are being denied their constitutional right to education, while teachers are placed in untenable conditions where their well-being is compromised. Communities are left to navigate the consequences of a system that is failing them at multiple levels.

The DA believes that the situation in Cradock reflects a broader pattern of administrative failure and lack of accountability within the provincial Department of Education. Immediate intervention is required to restore safety, reopen affected schools, and ensure that learners can return to stable classrooms without delay.

Reports of ongoing issues at multiple schools in the area raise serious questions about oversight, responsiveness, and leadership within the department. The apparent inability or unwillingness of the Head of Department to address these challenges decisively has contributed to a loss of confidence among communities and educators alike. Where systemic risks are identified, swift and transparent action is required, not silence or delay.

Restoring safe and functional schools is not an abstract policy objective. It is about ensuring that every child has a place to learn, every teacher has a safe environment to work in, and every parent can trust the system to deliver on its most basic obligations.

The people of the Eastern Cape deserve leadership that delivers, and a future built on dignity, opportunity and honest government.

Tomorrow, 15 April 2026, the Democratic Alliance (DA) will launch their mayoral campaign in the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality when they announce their Mayoral Candidate in Nxuba (formerly known as Cradock).

The Mayoral Candidate will be announced by DA EC Provincial Leader, Andrew Whitfield MP, and DA EC Midlands Constituency Leader, Heinrich Müller MPL.

The candidate is a DA stalwart in Inxuba Yethemba and is a trusted voice in the community, known for fighting to turn the fortunes of this collapsing municipality around.

The Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality has become synonymous with extended water and electricity outages, crumbling infrastructure, corruption, maladministration and economic collapse. It is a true testament of the ANC’s collapse of municipalities across the province.

The upcoming 2026 Local Government Elections promise to be a groundbreaking opportunity for residents to vote in a hard-working, clean, and effective DA government that delivers services to all.

Only the DA can get Inxuba Yethemba working.

Statement by Heinrich Müller MPL – DA EC Midlands Constituency Leader:

Middelburg’s water crisis has now entered a second week, leaving residents without reliable access to one of the most basic services and placing growing pressure on households, businesses, and public health ahead of the Easter weekend.

In parts of the town, particularly upper town, residents have been forced to endure prolonged outages with little meaningful communication and no clear indication of when a stable supply will be restored.

For families already facing difficult economic conditions, the continued lack of water is a daily disruption to dignity, hygiene, and ordinary life.

I have written to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Zolile Williams, to demand urgent intervention to restore supply and stabilise the situation before conditions deteriorate further.

The continued failure to resolve the crisis, especially as the Easter period approaches, is unacceptable.

Reports suggest that electricity disruptions, potentially linked to Eskom-related issues, are impacting the functioning of the Grootfontein pump station. However, while that may explain part of the crisis, it does not excuse the absence of a reliable contingency response.

If backup systems such as generators are available, they must be used effectively and without delay.

There is also growing concern that communication with the community has broken down badly. Civil society groups and local organisations, including Hands-on Middelburg, have reportedly attempted to assist, yet these efforts appear not to have been met with the urgency or cooperation required. When communities are left in the dark while taps run dry, frustration is inevitable.

Access to water is a basic constitutional right. While infrastructure challenges may be widespread, the situation in Middelburg has reached a point where immediate intervention is required to protect public health, dignity, and local livelihoods.

Where infrastructure is under strain, the government’s duty is to respond with urgency, transparency, and practical intervention.

Middelburg residents cannot be expected to carry the burden of administrative drift and operational failure.

The Easter weekend will only increase demand and place further pressure on an already unstable system. This is precisely why intervention cannot be delayed.

The DA will keep pressure on the relevant authorities to ensure they restore supply, communicate clearly with residents, and put proper contingency measures in place to prevent a repeat of this crisis.

The people of Middelburg deserve a government that responds when essential services fail, and leadership that understands that dignity begins with the basics.

Statement by Heinrich Müller MPL – DA EC Midlands Constituency Leader:

The people of Nxuba and surrounding areas in the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality have now entered their seventh consecutive day without water.

In the very month that South Africans commemorate Human Rights Day on 21 March, these residents are being denied their fundamental right to water.

Residents, businesses, and essential services have been left without a reliable water supply for an extended period.

This situation has now escalated beyond a routine service disruption. It directly impacts the constitutional right of residents to access sufficient water and poses an immediate threat to public health, dignity, and local economic activity.

I have therefore written to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Zolile Williams, urging him to intervene urgently to spare the people of Nxuba any further hardship.

The water crisis reportedly stems from the failure of two water pumps allegedly damaged following a high-voltage surge linked to Eskom infrastructure.

Although these pumps were initially declared repaired, this intervention proved ineffective, and they have since been returned to East London for further repairs.

The current circumstances point to a serious breakdown in infrastructure resilience and response coordination. More concerning, however, is the apparent lack of urgency in resolving the crisis.

Communities cannot be expected to endure prolonged water outages without clear communication, credible timelines, or sufficient emergency relief.

MEC Williams and CoGTA must urgently intervene to stabilise the situation and restore water supply without further delay.

The current situation is untenable. Immediate and decisive action is required to protect both livelihoods and basic human dignity.

In the upcoming Local Government Elections the people of Inxuba Yethemba can vote in a responsible DA government that will focus on service delivery, safety and jobs. A DA government that will get the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality working.

Statement by Dr Vicky Knoetze MPL – DA Leader of the Official Opposition in the Eastern Cape Legislature:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will take its JobsConnectEC campaign to Graaff-Reinet on Thursday as part of its ongoing effort to connect Eastern Cape job seekers with practical tools, training, and real employment opportunities.

JobsConnectEC, a DA driven initiative, was launched last year in Gqeberha as a community-focused programme aimed at addressing the province’s severe unemployment crisis by offering hands-on support to residents who are actively seeking work.

The Eastern Cape continues to face the highest unemployment levels in South Africa. The latest quarterly labour force survey shows that there are more people looking for work than employed in our province.

In rural areas like Graaff Reinet, roughly three out of five people, particularly young people, remain locked out of the economy despite having the willingness and potential to work.

JobsConnectEC is designed to bridge the gap between job seekers and opportunity. At the Graaff-Reinet event participants will receive guidance on compiling professional CVs, registering their skills, and preparing for interviews. They will also be able to access information about available training opportunities and job search resources.

A key component of the initiative is ensuring that job seekers leave with practical next steps rather than empty promises.

By bringing JobsConnectEC directly into communities such as Graaff-Reinet, the DA aims to ensure that smaller towns are not excluded from employment initiatives and that residents outside major urban centres also gain access to support and opportunities.

Through these engagements the programme is building a growing skills database and strengthening partnerships with businesses, training institutions, and youth employment services.

The DA remains committed to expanding initiatives that restore dignity through work and connect residents with the opportunities they deserve.

Statement by Chantel King MPL – DA Enoch Mgijima Constituency Leader:

The Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) must be a focus area for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s newly established Water Crisis Committee and the deployment of technical experts and resources to municipalities facing severe water challenges. President Ramaphosa announced the establishment of the Committee during his recent State of the Nation Address.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has been fighting for years to highlight CHDM’s failure as a water services provider to the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality.

Last week, I formally requested that the ongoing failure to provide Enoch Mgijima residents with adequate, quality water be brought before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA).

With national government having already laid criminal charges against 56 municipalities for failing to meet their water obligations, I have now written to the CoGTA MEC, Zolile Williams, urging him to work directly with the National Water Crisis Committee to urgently address the water challenges faced by municipalities within CHDM.

The Chris Hani District Municipality requires an estimated R1.65 billion to address its water infrastructure backlog. This presents a critical opportunity to table a credible, actionable recovery plan before the National Water Crisis Committee and secure the necessary technical and financial support.

MEC Williams must put the residents of the Chris Hani District first by proactively engaging the National Water Crisis Committee to find sustainable, long-term solutions to the ongoing water crisis.

As the President stated, “Water outages are a symptom of local government that is not working… In many places local government administrations are weak and governed by patronage rather than technical capacity and merit.”

Decisive intervention is needed to ensure that CHDM fulfils its mandate as a water services authority.

The longer this matter remains unresolved, the more residents of the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality will endure prolonged water outages and billing inconsistencies.

The people of Enoch Mgijima deserve a DA government that is caring, capable and prepared to tackle the water crisis head-on and restore dignity, reliability, and accountability to local governance.

Statement by Heinrich Müller MPL – DA EC Midlands Constituency Leader:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) expresses its deep concern following another fatal crash over the weekend involving heavy freight trucks in Nxuba (formerly Cradock), which claimed the life of a driver at the scene.

Preliminary reports indicate that a freight truck carrying manganese lost braking control on the downhill at the Cradock railway bridge on Sunday evening. The truck, unable to slow, slammed into the back of another manganese truck before the cab caught fire.

This tragic incident once again highlights the urgent need for stronger enforcement of road safety measures on one of the province’s most dangerous freight corridors.

This crash bears disturbing similarities to previous fatal incidents on the N10 between Nxuba and Middelburg.

In December last year, multiple lives were lost in a devastating collision involving a heavy freight truck in the exact same spot, underscoring the persistent risks posed by poorly regulated freight transport along this route.

A key contributing factor remains the continued failure to complete the Middelburg weighbridge project. This critical facility, intended to identify and prevent overloaded trucks from operating on provincial roads, has been delayed by poor project management.

Its absence has created a serious enforcement gap, allowing overloaded and potentially mechanically unfit vehicles to travel unchecked towards Nxuba and the surrounding areas.

I have written to the Transport MEC, Xolile Nqatha, to once again request urgent traffic-calming measures along high-risk sections of the N10 and surrounding routes, and to request the immediate completion and operationalisation of the Middelburg weighbridge.

Effective freight monitoring is essential to prevent further loss of life.

The DA extends its heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased driver.

No life should be lost due to preventable failures in road safety enforcement.

The DA will continue to hold the provincial government accountable and pursue urgent interventions to ensure meaningful action to protect all road users.

Statement by Andrew Whitfield MP – DA EC Provincial Leader:

For years, the high-lying community of Hillside in Nxuba (formerly Cradock) in the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality (IYLM) has been forced to live without running water.

Despite the presence of water infrastructure, the taps have never delivered a drop.

Residents are entirely dependent on water trucks from the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM), a system so dysfunctional it borders on neglect. These water trucks are meant to refill one JoJo tank every week in this community. Instead, they arrive sporadically and unpredictably, leaving residents to go days, and often weeks, without water.

This is not a natural disaster or an unavoidable challenge. It is the direct result of sustained government failure, mismanagement, and a complete disregard for the dignity of this community.

Water is essential to life and access to water is enshrined in the South African Constitution.

It is for this reason that today I was joined by DA EC Midlands Constituency Leader, Heinrich Müller MPL, and DA councillors from the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality, for whom the Chris Hani District Municipality is the designated water services provider, to deliver 16 000 litres of potable water to the parched residents of Hillside.

Hillside is not an isolated case. Across the IYLM municipality, in the towns of Nxuba and Middelburg, prolonged water outages have become a grim part of daily life.

This is the direct consequence of the Chris Hani District Municipality’s inability to keep pump stations operational and its chronic failure to repair and maintain basic water infrastructure.

What residents are enduring is not inconvenience, it is systemic collapse brought about by sustained ANC incompetence and neglect.

Our 16 000-litre donation was not a publicity exercise or for political expediency, it was an act of necessity, stepping in where an ANC government has once again failed to meet its most basic obligation to its people.

The DA has fought relentlessly for solutions to the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality’s water crisis.

We have fought in the municipal council, the Provincial Legislature, and Parliament, and even by escalating the matter to the South African Human Rights Commission.

Yet despite every intervention, the suffering of residents continues unabated.

This is why the DA has now stepped in and will use its own resources to make water available to those in need at least once a month. This is not something a political party should have to do, but it is something that must be done when government fails.

The absence of water strips people of their dignity, their health, and their sense of worth. No community should be forced to live like this.

When a DA government takes office in the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality after the 2026 local government elections, we will ensure that residents are able to live meaningful lives of dignity, with reliable access to basic services they can depend on.

The DA is on it and fighting for you. Together, we can get Nxuba and Middelburg working.

Statement by Kabelo Mogatosi MPL – DA Shadow MEC for Transport:

The Democratic Alliance is deeply concerned by a horrific crash on the N10 at the Cradock railway bridge on Monday, where at least two people are reported to have lost their lives following a devastating collision involving a heavy freight truck.

Video footage circulating publicly shows a truck travelling at high speed on the wrong side of the road before colliding head-on with oncoming vehicles. The force of the impact caused the truck to mount and bounce over at least one vehicle before coming to a stop, leaving a scene of extreme destruction.

This incident bears disturbing similarities to previous fatal crashes on the N10 between Nxuba (formerly Cradock) and Middelburg, a route that has become notorious for serious and often fatal accidents involving heavy trucks.

Of particular concern is the continued collapse of the Middelburg Weighbridge project, which has been effectively abandoned and remains unresolved despite repeated undertakings by the Eastern Cape Department of Transport to intervene.

In July, DA EC Midlands Constituency Leader Heinrich Müller MPL formally raised the crisis surrounding the stalled weighbridge, highlighting severe dust pollution, unsafe road conditions, and the complete absence of effective freight monitoring in Middelburg.

The result is a critical enforcement gap on one of the province’s most dangerous freight corridors. Without a functioning weighbridge, overloaded, mechanically unfit, and poorly regulated trucks continue to operate unchecked on routes such as the N10 between Middelburg and Nxuba (Cradock), placing ordinary motorists at extreme risk.

The Democratic Alliance extends its heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident. No family should have to endure such loss simply because basic road safety is not enforced.

I will be writing to the MEC for Transport, Xolile Nqatha, demanding immediate and concrete measures to prevent further loss of life, including mandatory safety checks and enforcement for heavy freight vehicles, particularly on steep and high-risk corridors and 24/7 visible traffic law enforcement on known danger routes, with rapid intervention capability.

The DA will continue to hold the provincial government accountable and will not relent until decisive action is taken to make our roads safer.

Statement by Cllr Monde Desha – DA Inxuba Yethemba Caucus Leader:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Speaker of the Inxuba Yetemba Local Municipality (IYLM), requesting that Council rescind the unlawful precautionary suspension of the Municipal Manager (MM).

During a virtual Special Council meeting, held on 10 December 2025, the Speaker unilaterally suspended the Municipal Manager despite there being calls for a division, the majority of councillors present objecting, the DA Caucus’s formal objections, and her ignoring procedure under the Rules of Order.

The Speaker, with support from an ANC faction, announced the suspension even though she has no legal power to do so, and it being a violation of the Municipal Structures Act, and a direct breach of her oath of office.

The resolution to place the MM on precautionary suspension was taken in the absence of any voting by councillors having preceded it, despite two proposals, one in favour and one against, having been served before Council.

Due to the unlawfulness of the suspension, litigation is inevitable and the municipality will likely lose before the courts. The court action will undoubtedly cost the municipality, leading to unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure.

In terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) the Speaker is liable for any unauthorised, fruitless and wasteful expenditure resulting from her unlawful decision. The people of the municipality must not pay for her disregard of the law.

The DA has now requested the following from the office of the Speaker:

• All documents, recordings, and minutes of the meetings of 12 November, 5 December, and 10 December 2025, within three working days.
• Written confirmation that no action will be taken against the Municipal Manager until this matter is regularised and made fully compliant with legislation.
• That Council rescinds the unlawful suspension and initiates a lawful, compliant process.

The DA will not allow residents to pay for the political recklessness of the Speaker and ANC factionalism. The people of Inxuba Yethemba deserve better, they deserve a government that will place the well-being of residents first.

Dear Editor

While the residents and businesses of the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality (IYLM) endure days without running water, the Department of Water and Sanitation blames “technical difficulties” for failing to respond to a Democratic Alliance (DA) urgent appeal for assistance.

The IYLM towns of Nxuba and Middelburg are currently experiencing prolonged and excessive water outages, which are not only severely impacting residents, but also crippling the local economy.

To make matters worse, the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM), the water and sanitation authority responsible for IYLM, has been woefully inadequate in addressing the crisis. In a recent DA communication with the CHDM over the current water crisis, their only answer was that “water tankers will be supplied”. Such a response is a completely unacceptable answer to what is rapidly escalating into a humanitarian disaster.

On Tuesday, 4 November 2025, I wrote to Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina, and the Director-General of her department, Dr Sean Phillips, urging them to intervene, and, due to the urgency of the matter, requested a reply within 48 hours.

Our request for intervention included the following:

• Immediate joint intervention by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and the Department of Water and Sanitation under Section 154 and Section 63 of the Water Services Act.
• Deployment of a technical task team to stabilise bulk water supply within 48 hours.
• A formal provincial and national turnaround plan for IYLM/CHDM water services, with timelines and reporting obligations.
• Emergency provisioning for commercial and agricultural operations, not only household tanker distribution.
• Written confirmation of the cause of the current outage, expected restoration time, and the status of water infrastructure funding allocated to CHDM.

The DA followed up yesterday and was informed that our letter had not been received due to “technical difficulties” at the department. We were then advised to resend the letter to the Office of the Director-General, despite having already included it in our initial email to the Minister. The Director-General’s office has now confirmed receipt of our correspondence and confirmed that feedback will be forthcoming.

While Minister Majodina and her department need to be reminded to reply to a crisis, thousands of residents, businesses, hospitals, schools, abattoirs and food producers cannot continue under permanent water-shedding.

The DA will continue our fight for the people of Inxuba Yethemba, ensuring that incompetence does not deny them access to basic services and the fundamental rights to which they are entitled.

Regards

Heinrich Müller MPL
DA EC Midlands Constituency Leader