By Thapelo Molefe
President Cyril Ramaphosa has criticised poor governance and service delivery in the Eastern Cape, saying that despite public and private investment, entrenched mismanagement, corruption, and crumbling infrastructure continue to hinder the province’s development, especially at the municipal level.
Ramaphosa and members of his Cabinet met on Wednesday with Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane and his executive council at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.
The meeting formed part of Ramaphosa’s two-day oversight visit to the province, which began with a high-level briefing by Transnet officials at the Port of Ngqura — one of South Africa’s newest deep-water ports, situated near the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
“We must be concerned when we see the collapse of services and the deterioration of infrastructure in our metros, cities and towns. We must be concerned at the sight of pensioners being forced to cross raging rivers in drums because there are no bridges, or sick patients lying on the floors of hospitals because there are no beds,” said Ramaphosa.
“This province is richly endowed — with coastline, well-located ports, fertile land, and academic institutions — but it is not supporting inclusive growth in an equitable manner. Poor governance, corruption, and mismanagement — particularly at municipal level — are the root of the stagnation.”
This was the fifth formal engagement between the national and provincial executives since November 2024, following similar meetings in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, and Gauteng.
Ramaphosa said he hopes to conclude the first round of provincial visits in the coming months.
The engagements form part of the Government of National Unity’s structured effort to strengthen intergovernmental cooperation.
“We hope to conclude our first round of visits to all the provinces in the next few months. This is part of our commitment as the Government of National Unity to engage with provinces on a more regular and structured basis. The purpose of these engagements is to open a new frontier for inter-governmental cooperation,” he said.
“We are called upon to drive inclusive growth and job creation within an ever more volatile global economy. We are called upon to answer the cries of our people for better service delivery, for jobs, for decent healthcare and education, and for protection from crime and gender-based violence.”
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa set the tone for the session by describing the Eastern Cape as ‘the poorest of the poor among the nine provinces’ – a framing that underscored the urgency of the visit.
Mabuyane, on the other hand, laid bare the province’s crisis: a general unemployment rate of 36%, youth unemployment at 49%, and 37% of households relying primarily on social grants.
“This is not just economic hardship — this is structural poverty. Water scarcity is also among the most pressing issues. Despite being fed by six perennial rivers, vast areas of the province remain without clean water due to “a failure of infrastructure planning and execution,” Mabuyane said.
“We’re still reticulating water from dams built years ago, while some communities still drink directly from rivers.”
Only 9% of Eastern Cape roads are surfaced, with 70% in poor condition.
“That’s not just an inconvenience,” said Mabuyane.
“It isolates farmers from markets, patients from clinics, and learners from schools.”
Adding to the province’s woes, Ramaphosa noted the 2023/2024 Auditor-General’s report which found that the Eastern Cape had the highest number of material irregularities in the country, resulting in R197 million in financial losses.
While nine departments earned clean audits, up from five, Ramaphosa said “improved paper trails mean nothing if our people are still forced to cross rivers in drums because there are no bridges.”
Mabuyane conceded that many municipalities are underperforming.
“We are tightening oversight with new standard operating procedures to place municipalities under a microscope. The dysfunction in local government is sabotaging progress,” he admitted.
Ramaphosa directed that national departments must work with provincial counterparts and state agencies to accelerate all catalytic development projects, particularly rural roads, water, rail and port infrastructure.
He also encouraged the province to explore innovative funding mechanisms to fast-track infrastructure and reduce the housing backlog.
Despite the bleak realities, the province has attracted billions in private sector investment — most notably in renewable energy, automotive manufacturing, and infrastructure.
Mabuyane announced that over R36 billion has been invested in renewable energy alone, with more than 500 wind turbines and 17 wind farms now operating in the province.
“We are home to the majority of South Africa’s renewable energy infrastructure. But the lack of transmission capacity means energy generated here is not fully utilised — and we are still suffering from load shedding,” he said.
He added that the province remained the backbone of South Africa’s automotive sector, with more original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) than any other province.
A recent R11.4 billion investment will roll out 29 electric vehicle charging stations — 13 of which are already live even in rural towns like Libode and Komani.
However, looming global trade threats pose a risk.
“We are extremely worried about US-imposed tariffs,” Mabuyane warned.
“If the automotive sector collapses in the Eastern Cape, the province collapses.”
The province also aims to expand Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to areas like Mthatha, Berlin, and Kariega, and recently secured approval to convert the Wild Coast industrial park into a full SEZ — with over R2 billion investment already pledged.
Agriculture is showing promise, with output growing from R27 billion in 2017 to R38 billion in 2022, supported by irrigation scheme revitalisation, agri-hub development, and new focus areas such as cannabis and wool.
Yet, Mabuyane said the province still spends R12 billion annually importing food from other provinces.
“That is a rand flight we can stop with infrastructure and aggregation support,” he said, calling on the Department of Agriculture to increase funding and accelerate land reform.
The province is also pushing for development of its oceans economy.
“With an 800km coastline and three ports, the Eastern Cape is poised to become the maritime capital of South Africa,” Mabuyane said.
Projects include small harbours in Port St. John’s, Bizana, and Hamburg, and major expansions at East London and Gqeberha ports.
He called for immediate resolution to delays plaguing projects like the N2 Wild Coast Highway and the Mzimvubu Water Project, which was conceptualised in 1960 but only began implementation recently.
“This level of procrastination must end. Procrastination is a thief of time and a thief of development,” Mabuyane stressed.
The Premier reported signs of improvement in education and healthcare.
The matric pass rate reached 84.9%, with rural districts like Chris Hani and Alfred Nzo producing top-performing students in mathematics and science.
“Our best maths teacher is in Motherwell. Schools are competing to perform,” Mabuyane said.
In healthcare, a R5 billion programme is upgrading clinics and hospitals, and the province is launching maternal-child health centres to reduce medico-legal claims.
But staff shortages and weak hospital management persist.
“We are struggling to appoint qualified CEOs for tertiary hospitals,” Mabuyane acknowledged.
Ramaphosa said the oversight visit must result in “concrete, credible, and tangible” plans aligned with the District Development Model and Provincial Development Plan.
“The true measure of our progress will not be clean audits or investment figures, but whether lives are changing. Whether our pensioners are safe, our learners are in school, and our clinics are working,” he said.
“The time for empty promises has passed.”
Ramaphosa also expressed concern over rising crime in the province, and called for increased policing resources and crime-fighting capacity to support communities.
He urged rapid implementation and better collaboration.
“By working together — with urgency and discipline — we can overcome the challenges holding this great province back,” said Ramaphosa.
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