Municipal bosses in a controversy-plagued Eastern Cape local municipality — recently identified as being in serious financial distress — have come up with an audacious plan to build a regional airport which could cost billions of rand.

Residents of a sprawling Eastern Cape village of more than 2,000 people say they are being forced to drink algae-tainted river water or dig for water in dongas, putting their health at risk.

Siyabonga Magadla, a former journalist and NYDA spokesperson, has self-published a book titled 'Entrepreneurship: Now a Matter of Urgency', inspired by his experience with an unpaid invoice that affected his ability to pay staff. The book discusses the challenges and opportunities of entrepreneurship in South Africa, emphasizing the need for a supportive environment for small businesses, which are crucial for job creation and economic growth. Magadla highlights the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area and e-commerce to boost intra-African trade. He also criticizes the hurdles small businesses face, such as late payments and stringent funding requirements, and calls for a more proactive approach to support them.

The UDM is threatening to take Eastern Cape co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Zolile Williams and Umzimvubu Local Municipality mayor Zukiswa Ndevu to court.

Authorities in Mthatha have ramped up efforts to combat the booming drug trade with the establishment of a King Sabata Dalindyebo municipal Local Drug Action Committee this week.

A frustrated rural community has turned to criminal means trying to focus their municipality’s attention on their needs.

An appeal by the troubled King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality against paying millions of rand to hundreds of its former employees as part of a highly contentious job evaluation system has been dismissed with costs by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

The struggling Enoch Mgijima municipality has been forced to shell out R11m to replace stolen copper cables in Komani in the past three months.

The mysterious disappearance of a 19-year-old schoolgirl earlier in October has rocked Ngcobo, with residents blaming police for failing to prioritise the case when her family first reported it a few days later.

Education is one of the most important elements of anchoring any great country and many of SA’s problems are caused by the fact that “everyone wants to lead without the requisite skills”.