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With only one day to go before the State of the Province Address (SOPA) in Calvinia tomorrow, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has put forward several issues that we want Premier Zamani Saul to address, instead of presenting the same old story from previous years.

The ANC, throughout loadshedding, has disempowered society, in the province, with agriculture the hardest hit. Electricity and infrastructural challenges have made it difficult for farmers to irrigate crops and keep produce cold.

The Education and Health sector including some businesses have also been brought to a breaking point as the provincial government fails to soften the blow caused by the blackouts.

The DA believes the Premier must make a bold pronouncement. He cannot continue to leave these matters in the hands of national government.

In the Western Cape, Premier Alan Winde has submitted a request to the Provincial Treasury to set aside R1 billion over three years as a means to respond to the energy crisis. DA Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced that, between now and 2028, Cape Town will spend around R1 billion a year on electricity infrastructure.

Premier Zamani Saul should make use of this opportunity to tell us about his plans to respond to the energy crisis in the Northern Cape, if he has any plans?

At national level, a disaster has been declared in response to widespread flooding but here in the Northern Cape, the Premier together with the MEC of Agriculture, fails to respond with provincial disaster relief to mitigate the effects of fires in places like the Kalahari, or persisting drought conditions in Namaqualand.

During my oversight visit to Richmond recently, it was evident that safety has become a big concern amongst residents. Also due to the rolling blackouts the emergency 10111 number is out of order most of the time. When it comes to the growing crime rate and the safety of the people of the Northern Cape, we do not need more new plans, we need action.

Whilst Health Care is a priority, people are dying due to inaccessible services, as well as the lack of maintenance and shortages of health personnel. It was reported recently that a woman from Britstown bled to death because there was no ambulance available to take her to hospital. We expect the Premier to address the dire state of health care pertaining to the state of ambulances, procurement, the filling of vacant posts, refurbishment of facilities and the full operationalization of healthcare facilities.

Education is key to success. Having visited a number of communities, it was troubling to see how school classes were interrupted due to loadshedding. Another concern is the state of our schools in relation to infrastructure, scholar transport, safety and the lack of solutions to many challenges including school dropouts and learner pregnancies amongst girls as young as eleven years old. This has become a norm in our society. Time for talk is over, the Premier must put his money where his mouth is and provide solutions.

I have visited several municipalities such as Magareng, Thembelihle and Renosterberg. It was sad so see that they have, at some stage, failed to pay salaries to officials and councillors. The supply of services, such as water and sewerage management at some of these municipalities has come to a standstill, all in the name of cadre deployment. We are eager to see whether the Premier will make bold announcements on how he will deal with this.

The DA has on many occasions addressed the issue of dilapidated buildings. The Nico Bekker Hostel in Williston is one example reported to the Premier a year ago. Wall plugs, water pipes, doors and literally the whole building was vandalised to the ground. A year later, I was shocked to still be greeted by an empty shell. To date, the Premier is nowhere to be found when it comes to keeping his empty promises.

If the Premier is serious about saving the Northern Cape from absolute collapse, these are some of the things we expect him to address in his SOPA tomorrow.

The DA will not leave any stone unturned in keeping the ANC in the Northern Cape accountable.

Issued by Harold McGluwa MPL - DA Northern Cape Provincial Leader