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Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s latest overseas investment mission to Italy and Greece raises serious questions about why the province is paying for another international trip while residents are still waiting for proof that previous missions have delivered jobs, investment, and growth.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will therefore oppose any further publicly funded overseas investment missions by the Premier until his Office tables full close-out reports for every trip undertaken over the past 3 financial years. These reports must include all costs incurred, delegation lists, signed agreements, verified investment secured, projects actually implemented and jobs created.

Eastern Cape families are living with unemployment, poverty, and broken infrastructure. Investment pledges don’t put food on the table. Small businesses cannot thrive when investment promises are not realised. Young people cannot build a future on the same promises that are repeated year in and year out but never properly tracked to ensure delivery.

The Premier has repeatedly claimed that there has been over R127 billion of coordinated investment declarations for the Eastern Cape. The public deserves to know where this investment is, which projects have materialised, how many jobs have been created and which communities have benefited.

The DA will also pursue a formal investment accountability monitor through the mechanisms of the Provincial Legislature to enforce quarterly reporting on:

• Investment pledges,
• Full disclosure on expenditure connected to summits, workshops, conferences, symposiums and training,
• Progress on all projects implemented as a result of these investments,
• Resultant employment figures,
• Resultant impact on the GDP.

The Premier must explain how this latest trip differs from the seven overseas missions he has already undertaken since 2023, including visits to the UAE, Tunisia, Egypt, Germany, China, Qatar, and Japan. These trips have cost the province more than R12,7 million, with limited public evidence of realised returns.

The current trip to Italy and Greece has been justified as part of investment in the province's oceans economy.

However, in reply to parliamentary questions from the DA, Premier Mabuyane confirmed that the promised multidisciplinary team to drive the oceans economy still has no disclosed mandate, membership, start date, budget, or performance targets. The implementation plan is still being processed. Qualitative research, historical data, job creation breakdowns, investment details, and capital expenditure linked to major marine and port infrastructure are still outstanding.

The province has also failed to provide a substantiated model for the claim that the oceans economy can create one million jobs by 2033. It has not provided verified data on jobs already created or clear details on the cited R7 billion port investment.

The DA supports credible investment promotion, but investment missions must be tied to measurable outcomes. Public money cannot fund repeat delegations while the province cannot show whether past missions have produced jobs, investment, and economic growth.

The people of the Eastern Cape deserve investment that lands in the province, creates work, supports small businesses and strengthens communities. The DA will continue to demand transparent reporting, proper oversight and economic development that delivers measurable results.

Issued by Dr Vicky Knoetze MPL - DA Leader of the Official Opposition in the Eastern Cape Legislature