Development in the province was undermined by the failure of its metros and big municipalities, said Jonas, the founding CEO of the Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council.
The founding CEO of the Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council (Ecsecc) and group chairperson of MTN, Mcebisi Jonas, said the Eastern Cape must fix its failing metros and secondary cities, which are in "a state of perpetual decay".
Jonas, who was once a deputy finance minister and also served in the provincial Cabinet, said last week that turning around the province's metros was imperative for economic growth.
Jonas, who hails from Kariega (formerly Uitenhage), said the province's metros were staffed by people who cannot do the job, but were political deployees.
Speaking about a new approach to develop the Eastern Cape, or as he called it, "de-Bantustanise" the province, Jonas said the first issue was that cities were "small, not growing, and decaying.
"When I say cities, I'm talking about the metros and secondary cities that are just in a state of perpetual decay. You cannot drive development as long as Buffalo City doesn't work. The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro doesn't work. Mthatha doesn't work. Queenstown [Komani] doesn't work. You are not going...
