UDM president Bantu Holomisa says Transkei resembles a Third World country and many towns in the OR Tambo region are run down after years of neglect.
The erstwhile leader of the former Transkei bantustan led thousands of residents from Mthatha, Lusikisiki, Flagstaff, Port St Johns, Libode and Mqanduli in a service delivery protest march which halted traffic in Mthatha yesterday.
“Visitors must surely wonder why, on one side, the land is green and fertile, while on the Transkei side it is grey and lifeless,” said Holomisa.
“ As you travel through the towns and villages you think you are somewhere in a low-income country. The moment you enter the Transkei, you realise you are entering the Third World.”
Yesterday’s march culminated in the UDM handing over a list of grievances to the office of Eastern Cape p remier Noxolo Kiviet.
Mxolisi Mfazwe, head of developmental communication in Kiviet’s office, accepted the memorandum on behalf of Kiviet.
The memorandum, which was also addressed to President Jacob Zuma, highlighted infighting in the King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) and OR Tambo district municipalities.
This was hampering service delivery.
Some major grievances were:
l Appointment of incompetent staff in the two municipalities;
l Irregularities in tender procedures;
l Nepotism; and
l Corruption.
Other grievances ranged from inadequately resourced clinics and hospitals to constant power failures, impassable roads and an unreliable water supply.
“From Flagstaff to Lusikisiki to Port St Johns to Mthatha, these towns are in a state of rot. If you go there you are welcomed by potholes. People are starting to say they have been forgotten by this government,” said Holomisa.
He said his party had decided to highlight the plight of the residents of these towns and bring it to the attention of the president.
The UDM had reportedly written letters to Zuma and his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, highlighting the poor state of infrastructure in the Eastern Cape.
“Service delivery in the OR Tambo region is in crisis. The health services are in crisis and the complete neglect of rural roads has made them death traps,” said the UDM leader.
He said the situation was made worse by the provincial government’s lack of capacity to spend funds allocated for capital expenditure.
Former presidents Nelson Mandela and Mbeki, and now Zuma, had all introduced presidential projects to try to rescue the ailing infrastructure of Mthatha.
Although welcomed by the UDM, such interventions were only a drop in the ocean, according to Holomisa.
The marchers have given the premier 14 days to reply to their grievances. —
Cry the ‘forgotten’ Transkei
The erstwhile leader of the former Transkei bantustan led thousands of residents from Mthatha, Lusikisiki, Flagstaff, Port St Johns, Libode and Mqanduli in a service delivery protest march which halted traffic in Mthatha yesterday.
“Visitors must surely wonder why, on one side, the land is green and fertile, while on the Transkei side it is grey and lifeless,” said Holomisa.
“ As you travel through the towns and villages you think you are somewhere in a low-income country. The moment you enter the Transkei, you realise you are entering the Third World.”
Yesterday’s march culminated in the UDM handing over a list of grievances to the office of Eastern Cape p remier Noxolo Kiviet.
Mxolisi Mfazwe, head of developmental communication in Kiviet’s office, accepted the memorandum on behalf of Kiviet.
The memorandum, which was also addressed to President Jacob Zuma, highlighted infighting in the King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) and OR Tambo district municipalities.
This was hampering service delivery.
Some major grievances were:
l Appointment of incompetent staff in the two municipalities;
l Irregularities in tender procedures;
l Nepotism; and
l Corruption.
Other grievances ranged from inadequately resourced clinics and hospitals to constant power failures, impassable roads and an unreliable water supply.
“From Flagstaff to Lusikisiki to Port St Johns to Mthatha, these towns are in a state of rot. If you go there you are welcomed by potholes. People are starting to say they have been forgotten by this government,” said Holomisa.
He said his party had decided to highlight the plight of the residents of these towns and bring it to the attention of the president.
The UDM had reportedly written letters to Zuma and his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, highlighting the poor state of infrastructure in the Eastern Cape.
“Service delivery in the OR Tambo region is in crisis. The health services are in crisis and the complete neglect of rural roads has made them death traps,” said the UDM leader.
He said the situation was made worse by the provincial government’s lack of capacity to spend funds allocated for capital expenditure.
Former presidents Nelson Mandela and Mbeki, and now Zuma, had all introduced presidential projects to try to rescue the ailing infrastructure of Mthatha.
Although welcomed by the UDM, such interventions were only a drop in the ocean, according to Holomisa.
The marchers have given the premier 14 days to reply to their grievances. —
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