By BAKANG MOKOTO
18 November 2025 – A delegation of the Eastern Cape’s permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) said it fully supports the province’s Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s initiative to request the deployment of soldiers to deal with deadly extortionists in the province. The delegates said this is a necessary and long-overdue intervention that the delegation will in equal measure urge the president to adopt.
The Provincial Whip and leader of the delegation, Nkosi Mwelo Nonkonyane said their province has lagged behind for too long on infrastructure development. Nonkonyane further said it is not fair on the companies, it is not fair on communities and ordinary South Africans that a few selfish thugs offer nothing and want to benefit from projects.
“This is criminal behaviour that should not be tolerated. Extortionists are not backing down, which begs the question whether arresting them and imprisoning them is adequate action to mitigate their behaviour. As permanent delegates to the NCOP, we are visiting our home provinces through the NCOP’s Provincial Week flagship programme, themed for 2025: Building viable municipalities for enhanced delivery of basic services to our communities.
“The delegation welcomes the fact that the Eastern Cape is not only a construction site by word, but also by deed, as evidenced through a number of new road projects and bridges it has seen through the province. We are set to visit various infrastructure projects, including Mzimvubu Dam, Ludeke Dam, Msikaba Bridge projects on the Wild Coast and the Ngquza Memorial Hill project,” he added.
Nonkonyane said they want to see their communities working and benefitting on these mega-infrastructure projects. He said any criminal project intended to hold this work back should be dealt with decisively and without fear or hesitation.
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