‘Graft not out of the average’: ECape strives to overcome neglect

The talk about the Eastern Cape being the epitome of corruption is blown out of proportion, as it “is not out of the average”, says premier Oscar Mabuyane.

The province is one of those with little to no development, with roads, infrastructure and clean running water being some of the much-needed services.

Some pupils still attend schools under the trees and use pit latrines, villagers in Dikidikini are using drums to cross rivers, while those who are brave enough, swim across because there is no bridge.

And provincial government officials are constantly attacked for being corrupt.

“The corruption narrative is blown out of proportion, it is not out of average,” Mabuyane told The Citizen in a wide-raging interview.

“As we started this term, we subjected ourselves to a process of clean audit done by the state security on the executive, and we are cascading that into government officials.

Hence you have seen a lot of improvement in financial accountability,” he said.

READ: EC Health Department accused of paying R67 million in salaries despite hospital closure

Mabuyane said the Eastern Cape had been neglected for many years by colonialism and the apartheid system, but they were working to redress the imbalances of the past.

“We are dealing with issues of social infrastructure. The national government came up with the project of social infrastructure, particularly in schools and hospitals.

“These were programmes that were meant to lift the Eastern Cape from a low base to where it is now.”

He said the Eastern Cape was “a construction site”, and the administration was improving sanitation and infrastructure – and aims to eliminate pit latrines.

Mabuyane said the province had built close to half a million RDP houses since 1994.

He said they were also addressing the clean water challenges faced by the province. The Umzimvubu Dam, a project which dates back to the early 1960s, is now becoming a reality with R8 billion of public funds.

“In this coming financial year, the department of water and sanitation is giving about R6 billion to the Eastern Cape, to different municipalities, to deal with reticulation. We have done most of the bulk infrastructure but the challenge has been reticulation.”

He said the province had 90% gravel roads and that was the problem because of the legacy they inherited.

“We are working on almost all our major road networks to open up the province for investments.

“If you spend money in a disaster-prone province like the Eastern Cape and you build roads, come next year you will appear as if you have not done anything when the auditor-general comes because all those roads have been eroded because they are gravel roads.”