I have no issue with what the Eastern Cape Premier, Mr Oscar Mabuyane, writes this morning in the Daily Dispatch, a local newspaper. Among other things, he outlines the benefits of the recent upgrades to the N2 Highway Wild Coast, which are expected to ease logistics in the region.
Mabuyane also outlines the promise of the digital infrastructure rollout underway, the upgrades to Mthatha airport, and the gains they will bring, particularly in rural regions.
Other aspects he writes about include potential water infrastructure projects, the promise of tourism, and agriculture, among other sectors.
In essence, I support some of these interventions. What we need is focused implementation.
You see, I have been troubled for some time by the Eastern Cape’s sluggish economic progress, higher unemployment, poverty, and the provincial government’s inept service delivery.
Admirable progress
And yes, I know there has been some good work in various regions of the province. For example, the national road network from Port St Johns to Gqeberha is in admirable condition following recent improvements, and Premier Mabuyane correctly highlights it.
This has improved travel ease and supports businesses, especially agribusinesses that rely heavily on these road networks.
New schools and clinics have recently been built in rural regions. These have led to some green shoots in terms of education outcomes.
Troubling areas
In areas that need enormous improvement, we must focus on municipalities that remain in a troubling space.
Another area of neglect is road maintenance and service delivery in various towns, especially the former Transkei region.
Poor rural roads, water challenges, higher crime rates, and poorly maintained towns, among other issues, are slowing the province’s fortunes.
All these weigh negatively on farmers and small businesses that struggle to connect with clients in business centres, leading to financial losses due to higher transaction costs.
In addition to the automotive industry, agriculture and agro-processing, various services, tourism, and agrotourism are some industries the Eastern Cape should be driving.
However, the province has not made admirable progress in these areas. Even if the province promoted tourism, with these long-running problems, businesses would struggle to attract more clients to the province for the long term.
Yes, we have a great province that can offer so much and, in the process, create jobs.
The Premier of the Province, as he has done today in the Daily Dispatch, typically gives promising speeches that diagnose the underlying problems.
But the delivery remains disappointing. For example, in agriculture, the province still has a sharp dualism. The former Ciskei regions of the province, with dominant commercial agriculture, are the engine of the provincial agricultural fortunes. Meanwhile, the former Transkei region remains at the periphery of progress.
The region faces challenges in land governance, inadequate infrastructure (roads, water, silos, etc.), and the absence of organised agricultural training.
As a result, there are tracts of underutilised land in regions with favourable rainfall. The province’s leadership should pull all the stops to ensure we realise agricultural growth in the province.
Progress in provincial agriculture would be an engine for addressing high unemployment and poverty. These would also be highly technical jobs in the value chain.
The other industries that could thrive are tourism and agritourism.
The Eastern Cape has the potential. However, its leadership must do its part seriously to restart the province.
Once we see their efforts, the private business will follow up and invest. We can’t keep having a rural province with a “potential” never achieved while people suffer.
While I have placed the burden on the Premier’s hands, the people of the Eastern Cape must define their destiny.
Pockets of fertile lands remain fallow. People seem to have lost hope in farming for various reasons, which I have discussed above.
The government has also done little to build confidence and provide the necessary infrastructure and a conducive operating environment to return intellectual and physical capital to the province.
Provided agriculture could be revitalised, supportive infrastructure, agriculture, and agribusiness could create far more economic opportunities than we see in some urban regions.
In essence, the problems of the Eastern Cape lie in the need for better governance and focused implementation of what the provincial leadership has long discussed, and the Premier outlines again in this latest Daily Dispatch essay.
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