The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on Premier Oscar Mabuyane to urgently establish a Provincial Commission of Inquiry into the state of governance and infrastructure projects in the Eastern Cape. This follows alarming findings from both the Auditor-General and the National Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), which confirm a deepening crisis of accountability, financial mismanagement, and systemic failure.
The Auditor-General’s latest report, tabled before the NCOP Select Committee on Finance this week and shared by DA NCOP delegate Henni Britz, highlights serious concerns regarding governance, financial controls, and service delivery. The report reveals that several key departments, including the Office of the Premier, the Provincial Legislature, and the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, received qualified audit outcomes with adverse findings. This is not merely a technical regression but a reflection of weakened oversight, declining accountability, and a government increasingly unable to meet the needs of its people.
Further evidence of the breakdown in governance and infrastructure rollout emerged during SCOPA’s recent oversight visits to the OR Tambo and Buffalo City municipalities. Members of Parliament uncovered widespread corruption, incomplete infrastructure projects worth hundreds of millions of rand, and a deeply entrenched culture of impunity. Senior officials implicated in wrongdoing remain in their posts, protected by political leadership more concerned with shielding allies than enforcing accountability.
One of the most damning elements of the Auditor-General’s report is the conclusion that provincial service delivery reporting cannot be trusted. Claims such as the construction of 3,661 kilometres of roads or the delivery of 6,736 houses could not be verified.
Education expenditure remains unsubstantiated, and despite being fully funded, the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme has stalled at phase two, years after it began. This failure speaks to a collapse in planning, execution, and oversight.
The report highlighted significant pressure on provincial government finances. These include R467.7 million in unauthorised expenditures, R2.7 billion in irregular expenditures, and R197 million in suspected fraud. Equally troubling is that 97 percent of financial misconduct cases have resulted in no disciplinary action.
Despite this dismal record, the province is set to receive R82.45 billion in equitable share funding for the 2025/2026 financial year. Without urgent reform, this money will remain lost to mismanagement and corruption. The people of the Eastern Cape deserve a government that ensures proper oversight, transparent financial systems, and meaningful consequences for wrongdoing.
The Democratic Alliance is calling for Premier Mabuyane to act immediately in terms of the Constitution of South Africa, which empowers a premier to appoint commissions of inquiry.
The DA demands the immediate suspension of all officials identified in the SCOPA and Auditor-General reports, pending an independent investigation. We further call for the urgent implementation of Treasury and AG recommendations, the initiation of forensic investigations into identified irregularities, and the establishment of a clear framework for consequence management.
Earlier this week, we gave Premier Mabuyane 30 days to take action against these officials. If he fails to do so, the DA will open criminal cases ourselves.
This is a matter of public trust, ethical governance, and the constitutional duty to serve the people of this province. The Eastern Cape cannot afford to be held hostage by failed leadership and a culture of impunity.