THE majority of South Africans are still not experiencing real freedom despite the country achieving political freedom 30 years ago.
Democratic Alliance (DA) Eastern Cape provincial leader Andrew Whitfield said this at the party’s Freedom Day celebration in Komani, Eastern Cape on Saturday, 27 April.
The DA painted Komani streets blue this weekend, and its leader, Whitfield, addressed party members.
Whitfield said that true freedom can't be attained while people are jobless, trapped in poverty, killed in their homes, given poor education and healthcare, and left without basic municipal services.
“Real freedom has become a pipe dream under the corrupt ANC, and the Eastern Cape is the province where their failures are most prevalent,” he said.
Whitfield said the province’s unemployment rate reached almost 42% in the fourth quarter of 2023 and is the highest in the country.
“This is also one of the violent provinces in the country, with school and health infrastructure collapsing. The province is experiencing a massive shortage of doctors, nurses, and teachers.
“Today we marched in Komani in the Enoch Mgijima Municipality, a prime example of a local failed state.
“The residents of Komani are not experiencing real freedom while living with constant electricity and water outages, sewage flowing in the streets, rubbish not being collected, and roads riddled with potholes,” he said.
ALSO READ: Seven years later, father still in tears
Whitfield said cadre deployment has rendered the town and municipality unable to deliver the most basic services.
“This is destroying the local economy because there is no enabling environment to attract investment. Businesses are folding, and job-shedding has ensued."
He said any turnaround strategy for the Eastern Cape needs to begin with bringing stability to local government and ensuring functional municipalities.
“Creating safe towns with quality healthcare, education, and job opportunities will encourage people to want to live and work there."
Whitfield said their plan for the Eastern Cape is to lift six million people out of poverty, create two million new jobs, halve the rate of violent crimes, end load shedding and abolish cadre deployment.
