17 February 2026

Madam Speaker, Honourable Thoko Didiza

President of the Republic, His Excellency Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa

Deputy President, Honourable Paul Mashatile

Honourable Members,

A public representatives entrusted with the historic responsibility of advancing a better life for all, we do not gather in this august house merely to debate policy, but to also reflect on whether our collective actions are improving the lived realities of the people of South Africa.

From the rural hinterlands, small towns and industrial corridors of the Eastern Cape comes a clear message: when we invest in people, infrastructure and security, and development becomes visible; hope becomes tangible.

It is on this basis that we support the State of the Nation Address (SONA) as a programme of action to deepen opportunity, restore confidence and advance the promise of our democracy.

Honourable Members, we welcome the President’s announcement that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will be deployed in the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces to combat gang violence and illegal mining.

Crime statistics make clear that intensified intervention is equally required in the Northern Areas of Gqeberha, within Nelson Mandela Bay, where communities continue to endure the devastating consequences of gangsterism and resultant gang violence. These areas warrant inclusion in the deployment of the SANDF to hotspots for intervention, so that community safety becomes a shared national priority.

Security support is also essential to protect critical infrastructure investments from extortion syndicates that threaten construction projects, economic progress and job creation.

In our rural districts, stock-theft continues to erode livelihoods where livestock sustains household economies. Strengthened enforcement will help secure this economic backbone and reinforce investor confidence in the province.

Madam Speaker, for the Eastern Cape, rural development is both an economic necessity and a moral imperative.

Infrastructure investments: roads, bridges, water and connectivity are improving access to markets, reducing travel time for learners and patients, and unlocking economic activity in historically marginalised communities.

Every road built narrows the distance between poverty and opportunity. Rural infrastructure is therefore not only about mobility; it is about dignity and inclusion.

Madam Speaker, the Eastern Cape remains a cornerstone of South Africa’s manufacturing capability, with the automotive sector anchoring industrial stability and sustaining thousands of jobs.

We must continue to support investment retention, supply-chain resilience and the speedy conclusion of key reforms to ensure policy certainty and competitiveness, while confronting the challenge of increasing imports of finished goods. Localisation remains essential if we are to deepen industrialisation and expand employment.

Complementing this, blended finance is supporting agricultural expansion and farmer sustainability. Through its programme, the Land Bank has disbursed R81 million from a R150 million pipeline, benefiting 26 development farming enterprises.

The Provincial Department of Agriculture has further ring-fenced R62.8 million, implemented through the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency, to reduce debt exposure and support production and insurance costs across priority commodities.

In addition, R12.4 million has supported green-energy installations for farmers, while approvals of R22 million for commercial enterprises continue to strengthen productivity and resilience across the sector.

Honourable Members, we are encouraged by improved governance outcomes. For the first time in over a decade, provincial departments, including Health and Education have achieved clean audit outcomes.

This progress reflects strengthened financial management, accountability and institutional stability, reinforcing public confidence in the State. The imperative now is to cascade these gains into local government so that improved audit results are matched by stronger performance, service delivery and financial discipline across municipalities.

Madam Speaker, umntu ngumntu ngabantu. National programmes continue to make a measurable difference in the province, strengthening services and social protection.

We welcome the emphasis on strengthening frontline human capacity through social workers and extension officers.

In the province, this is complemented by the employment of over 800 Early Childhood Development teachers, alongside the recruitment of doctors and other medical professionals to strengthen healthcare delivery.

These investments ensure that the developmental state is felt where it matters most, in homes, clinics and classrooms.

Honourable Members, our response to malnutrition continues through targeted programmes supporting children and vulnerable households, alongside school nutrition and early childhood development initiatives that safeguard wellbeing and learning outcomes.

We are also responding decisively to animal-health risks such as Foot and Mouth Disease to protect livelihoods and food security.

We also wish to take this time to honour the late Bishop Bolana, whose life embodied compassion, humility and service to humanity.

Honourable Members, it also saddens me to report to you the passing of the late ANC stalwart and former Member of the Provincial Legislature, uMama Deborah Komose, whose lifelong commitment to the struggle leaves an enduring legacy of courage and community upliftment.

Honourable Members, the Eastern Cape’s progress is inseparable from the national trajectory. When national policy succeeds, our communities experience tangible improvements in opportunity, services and hope.

Our task now is to deepen implementation, strengthen accountability and accelerate delivery so that progress is measured in the everyday lives of our people.

Nation-building is a collective responsibility. From rural heartlands to industrial centres, we are building infrastructure, strengthening industries, protecting livelihoods and investing in future generations.

Let us therefore leave this debate with renewed resolve: to act with urgency, protect the vulnerable and unlock the full potential of our nation.

Because the true measure of our work will not be the debates we hold in this house, but the dignity and opportunity experienced by the people we serve.

I thank you.