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Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the country's south-eastern coast. Its capital is Bhisho, though the province's largest cities are Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) and East London. The Eastern Cape is the second-largest province by area and has a population of approximately seven-million people. The province's economy is anchored by manufacturing, particularly automotive production in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro, agriculture, forestry and tourism. It is home to significant citrus and livestock farming, as well as extensive forestry plantations. The Eastern Cape also holds substantial renewable-energy potential, with wind and solar projects increasingly contributing to the energy mix. Infrastructure development, including water projects such as the Mzimvubu Water Project, is central to addressing service-delivery challenges and unlocking economic growth. The province faces persistent socioeconomic challenges, including high unemployment and poverty rates, alongside infrastructure backlogs in rural areas. Governance is vested in a provincial legislature and executive council. The Eastern Cape is culturally significant as the birthplace of many anti-apartheid leaders, including Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo, and remains a key region in South Africa's political and economic landscape.

Eastern Cape Updates

Mark Swilling

1985: The Langa Massacre and the ending of white rule in South Africa

8th October 2026 On 21 March 1985, police opened fire on a funeral procession in Langa township outside Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape, killing peaceful protesters... →

DA adds Mayoral Candidates in Eastern Cape Municipalities where the ANC submitted no lists

DA adds Mayoral Candidates in Eastern Cape Municipalities where the ANC submitted no lists

1st October 2026 The Democratic Alliance is proud to announce that we will be fielding four additional mayoral candidates in the Eastern Cape. The addition of these... →

DA rejects parole system’s endless red tape delays, calls for reform now

DA rejects parole system’s endless red tape delays, calls for reform now

1st October 2026 The DA is deeply concerned that South Africa’s parole system reform is caught in a cycle of endless delays and red-tape, and reform is not... →

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JP Landman

SA/US Quo Vadis II

30th September 2026 The recently announced US visa arrangements, followed by the US ambassador’s belligerent remarks, have put SA/US relations back in the spotlight... →

Econ3x3

The quiet erosion: What has happened to subsistence farming in South Africa?

28th September 2026 There is a gradual decline in households engaged in subsistence agriculture. What does this mean for food security and for households’ wellbeing?... →

ANC welcomes high court dismissing the urgent application challenging candidates lists

ANC welcomes high court dismissing the urgent application challenging candidates lists

28th September 2026 The African National Congress (ANC) welcomes the decision of the High Court of South Africa, Eastern Cape Division, Makhanda, dismissing the urgent... →

Port of Ngqura

South Africa's Transnet begins process to expand manganese export capacity 

By: Reuters     25th September 2026 South Africa's State-owned logistics operator Transnet said on Friday it has started the process of picking a private sector partner to develop and... →

EFF leader Julius Malema

EFF brushes off Malema’s NPA charges, hits out at AfriForum for ‘weaponising’ justice system

By: Sashnee Moodley     23rd September 2026 The charge of crimen injuria brought against EFF leader Julius Malema does not “faze” the party, it said on Wednesday, as it hit back at AfriForum... →

ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula

Fikile Mbalula to also face the music for falsely accusing Bergview principal of rape

22nd September 2026 ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula will join EFF leader Julius Malema in facing criminal prosecution for falsely accusing an innocent school... →

Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa

SA: Kgosientsho Ramokgopa: Address by Minister of Electricity and Energy on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa, at the African Green Hydrogen Summit 2026, Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town (16/09/2026)

18th September 2026 This Summit showcases innovation, investment and collaboration in a sector that is set to change the trajectory of industrial development. With... →

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