OPINION| Leadership, accountability and urgency needed to address Eastern Cape’s problems

The past 12 months have been a difficult period for the people of the Eastern Cape. In April 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa was very critical of governance and service delivery in the province, citing entrenched mismanagement, corruption and crumbling infrastructure as problematic. He spoke about people crossing rivers in drums because of a lack of bridges, about people drinking from rivers because access to piped water remains a dream, and about 70% of our roads being in poor condition.

He also noted that the 2023/2024 auditor-general report flagged the Eastern Cape for R197m in financial losses. Catastrophic floods hit us in June, claiming more than 100 lives and exposing significant gaps in early warning systems and years of neglected infrastructure. In the same month, the Human Rights Commission declared child malnutrition a provincial disaster after 70 children died of malnutrition.

In February, the Quarterly Labour Force Survey revealed that the unemployment rate has increased to 42.5%, with the expanded unemployment rate increasing to 51.4%. In the past year, 79,000 people lost their jobs, and 32,000 in the last quarter alone. In the rural Eastern Cape, three out of five people cannot find a job.

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In April, the US’s announcement of a 25% automotive tariff was a devastating blow, especially in a province where the automotive manufacturing and supporting sectors are the biggest drivers of our economy. Last week, the crime stats revealed that people are more likely to be murdered or raped in the Eastern Cape than anywhere else in SA. The people’s priorities are simple.

Do you have an income? Do I feel safe? Do I have access to basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation and roads? Can I access quality health care?

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