The DA says issues facing the Eastern Cape are "deeply saddening" and need immediate intervention.
Its chief whip, Siviwe Gwarube, said there were ways in which the government could cushion people who were struggling, poor and living below the bread line and "yet [the] government chooses not to do so".
The DA, ANC, EFF, ActionSA and IFP took part in an election debate at the University of Fort Hare in Alice on Wednesday night. The debate was co-hosted by the Mail & Guardian and the university.