How Holomisa will shape the Eastern Cape

United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa is set to change the Eastern Cape into a well-functioning province with proper infrastructure and jobs for all.

Holomisa recently announced his plan to contest for the Eastern Cape premier’s position. He said many people have been urging him to go for the position as they believe he can turn the province around.

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Holomisa said that if elected, he wanted to change the Eastern Cape from the “poorest” in the country into a province to be proud of.

The retired army general said he would institute scientific research to investigate whether the Eastern Cape was appropriately funded as he believed its budget was inadequate.

The study would take into consideration the population and infrastructural backlogs in the rural areas including roads, schools, clinics and other public facilities, which must all be budgeted for every financial year.

Simply not enough

“The current budget of the Eastern Cape is a drop in the ocean,” he said.

He said he would prefer to operate as part of a government of provincial unity with all political parties interested in rebuilding the Eastern Cape represented. His first priority would be to address the historic infrastructure backlogs in the rural areas of former Ciskei and Transkei and urban townships, where infrastructure has collapsed due to neglect and storms.

His administration would roll out infrastructure building projects and rehabilitate all rural roads. Housing would be top of the agenda in Gqeberha and East London and especially Duncan Village township.

“Housing is a big problem in Gqeberha and that must be addressed. Duncan Village in East London had been an eyesore for many years. All these areas have been neglected.

“The townships of Gqeberha need face-lifting because they are in squalor at the moment,” Holomisa said.

If the UDM won the provincial polls, Holomisa, who currently tops the UDM national list, would relinquish his National Assembly seat to go to Bisho to take over as premier.

His deputy, Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, would then become de factor leader in parliament.

On changes in the Eastern Cape Holomisa added: “I will continue what the current government is doing but do it better. Things are falling apart in the Eastern Cape.”

He believed a nonpartisan governance approach would work well in the Eastern Cape so that no political party was dominating the administration.

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He would introduce checks and balances to eliminate corruption in the provincial administration.

His administration would revive collapsed irrigation schemes that promoted agriculture in the former Transkei and Ciskei and the Magwa Tea Estates in Port St Johns.

“All those schemes are not working under the current government, it’s shocking how these ANC guys work,” he said, referring to irrigation schemes built and operated by the former homeland administration of Kaizer Matanzima of Transkei and Ciskei’s Lennox Sebe, who both prioritised development, especially for rural areas.

The homelands also established factories that employed large numbers of local people in Butterworth, Dimbaza, Fort Jackson, Whittlesea and Ezibeleni.

But all that infrastructure has collapsed under the ANC government and the building materials have been looted by shackdwellers.

In a Holomisa administration, local government would be monitored and funding of infrastructure would be equitable for all local authorities