The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) delegation to the Eastern Cape has heard that 13 multibillion infrastructure projects are currently on the go in the province. The Premier of the Eastern Cape, Mr Oscar Mabuyane, told the permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) that these various projects demonstrated progress and served as a reminder that infrastructure requires a lot of attention and maintenance.
The NCOP delegation is in the province as part of its yearly Provincial Week programme and is being updated on the progress made on various infrastructural progress to check if recommendations made during previous Provincial Week programmes have been acted upon.
The Premier said: “We need greater discipline when implementing projects. Government cannot wait for projects to reach crisis point before government responds. We invest billions on these and communities must benefit through the creation of solid local economic activities and training opportunities.”
Premier Mabuya said strong infrastructure delivery is dependent on strong municipalities, and that although support should be given to municipalities, poor performance needs to be met with consequences. He cited various projects including the Msikaba bridge, which he flagged as the best performing and a model to be replicated province wide.
The NCOP delegation leader, Hon Nkosi Mwelo Nonkonyana, said the NCOP is looking to see an improvement in people’s lives. “As the representatives of the people, we say challenges must be addressed speedily so that we are able to change the lives of our people. We must ensure that our people’s needs are met at national level.”
The delegation will spend the week in the Chris Hani and Joe Gqabi regions monitoring various water and sanitation, human settlements, roads, schools and health facilities infrastructure projects.
Speaking about Maiden Farm, where the government has erected temporary shelters for people who were affected by floods in the Mthatha West area, Premier Mabuyane cautioned that temporary relocation cannot become a permanent solution.
Sibongile Maputi
19 August 2026
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