Thulisile Mapongwana
Political parties in the Eastern Cape Legislature in Bhisho delivered sharp criticism during the debate on Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s State of the Province Address, painting a bleak picture of a province battling unemployment,
hunger, failing infrastructure and collapsing municipalities.
Opposition parties said the Eastern Cape is facing a deepening socio-economic crisis, while the ANC defended the Provincial government’s record and called for stability and decisive intervention.
MK Party MPL Wandile Ngcobo warned that unemployment has reached crisis levels, calling for bold structural reforms rather than what he described as short-term interventions.
The latest Statistics South Africa figures show that more than half of the province’s workforce is unemployed, with youth unemployment exceeding 60 percent.
“Social collapse cannot be managed by a workshop, it requires structural interventions,” Ngcobo told the House.
DA MPL Dr Vicky Knoetze focused on the province’s critical automotive sector, warning that policy uncertainty and infrastructure weaknesses are putting thousands of jobs at risk.
“More than half of the vehicles exported from South Africa come from the Eastern Cape, and 45 percent of the people working in the automotive industry are here,” she said. “We have to make sure that we’ve got a seat at the
table when we are talking about policy reform.” Knoetze said the province had already lost 907 jobs following Goodyear’s closure and 700 jobs at Mercedes-Benz South Africa.
She warned that Volkswagen South Africa had indicated it could withdraw from the country if government failed to act on new energy vehicle policy, the South African Automotive Masterplan, and rail and port infrastructure challenges.“If we cannot offer better tax breaks and incentives, they will withdraw from South Africa, and that is another 4,000 jobs. We have to make sure we secure the future of the automotive industry in our province,” she said.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Zilindile Vena turned his focus to school infrastructure, accusing the Premier of failing to deliver on promises to eradicate pit latrines.
“Last year, 31 March was supposed to be the deadline to eradicate pit toilets. The Premier said out of the remaining 422 schools with pit latrines, this year he is only committing 300. Therefore, the situation even next year is going
to be the same,” Vena said.
Food insecurity and child malnutrition also featured prominently. During the debate, it was revealed that 70 children in the Eastern Cape died from severe acute malnutrition in just seven months of 2025, following 107 deaths in
2024 from the same preventable condition. EFF MPL Lona Tshotsho described the figures as a moral failure.“The South African Human Rights Commission has called for coordinated action, yet children in this province continue to
die. One in four children in this province is underdeveloped. Rural communities carry the heaviest burden. Hunger here is not accidental. It is because of policy failure, and it is a moral scandal,” she said.
Crime and safety concerns were raised by Democratic Alliance MP Yusuf Cassim, who questioned when soldiers would be deployed to assist police in combating rising violent crime.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia had previously indicated that army deployment would begin within 10 days of the Parliamentary announcement last month. Cassim pressed the Premier for clarity.
“When exactly are the soldiers arriving?” Cassim asked. “Communities are living in fear and need urgent intervention.”
Responding, Mabuyane said the province was expecting the deployment “any day now.”
On local government performance, ANC Chief Whip Loyiso Magqashela acknowledged improvements in some municipalities but warned that others remain on the brink of collapse like Makana and Fish River.
“While we welcome the clean audit outcomes achieved by some municipalities, seven others are facing serious financial mismanagement and governance failures,” Magqashela said. “Without decisive provincial intervention and
sustainable turnaround plans, residents will continue to suffer.” He called on the provincial government to urgently implement stabilisation strategies to restore service delivery and financial discipline.
Throughout the debate, opposition parties argued that the Premier’s address did not go far enough to confront the scale of the province’s challenges. The ANC, however, maintained that progress is being made despite fiscal
constraints and inherited structural difficulties. Mabuyane is expected to deliver his official reply to the debate on Wednesday 4, where he will address the criticisms raised and outline government’s response to the concerns
voiced in the legislature.
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