. * Khalid Sayed is the Leader of the Opposition in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature.
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Cape Town - The Western Cape Premier’s recent State of the Province Address painted an image of a thriving and well-governed province. However, for many residents, this version of reality does not match their daily experiences. Beneath the polished rhetoric lies a province struggling with deep inequalities, failing local governance, and reckless foreign policy decisions that threaten jobs and investment.
Housing remains one of the Western Cape’s greatest crises, yet under the DA-led government, it has been marked by mismanagement and evictions that disproportionately affect the most vulnerable. Take Communicare, for example. Despite national intervention and a forensic investigation into the acquisition of its properties, evictions have continued, forcing pensioners from their homes. This is just one example of the province’s disregard for the poorest citizens.
Municipal failures are equally glaring. In Swellendam, Saldanha Bay, Matzikama, and Garden Route District, governance is in disarray, with financial mismanagement and corruption allegations mounting. Swellendam’s council failed to release the Vermaak Report on municipal misconduct, while Saldanha Bay lost R2.5 million in public funds amid a housing backlog. These examples expose the DA’s failing model of governance – one that claims efficiency but delivers scandal after scandal.
The DA’s decision to cut 2 407teacher posts has disproportionately affected working-class communities, particularly in schools that serve historically disadvantaged areas.
The DA’s Education MEC, David Maynier, has misled the Legislature about these cuts, which have deepened apartheid-era inequalities. Housing and infrastructure decisions continue to entrench these inequalities. The DA’s refusal to release vacant public land for social housing, particularly in well-located areas like Tafelberg, is a stark reminder that their governance serves an elite minority. The province remains divided between wealthy, well-serviced areas and communities still waiting for the promise of transformation.
While the Premier speaks of economic stability, his own MEC for Agriculture, Economic Development, and Tourism, Dr. Ivan Meyer, has jeopardized one of the province’s most critical trading relationships – China. Meyer’s decision to visit Taiwan in his official capacity was not just an ill-advised diplomatic move; it was a reckless act that directly contradicts South Africa’s official One China Policy. This blunder risks billions in agricultural trade. Just last year, exports to China exceeded R16 billion, making China a key trading partner for the Western Cape and a major driver of rural employment. The Western Cape has benefited immensely from Chinese trade and investment, yet Meyer’s actions now place this at risk. It is deeply concerning that Premier Alan Winde has failed to act against Meyer’s blatant disregard for South Africa’s foreign policy. This province does not operate in isolation from national policies, yet DA leaders continue to behave as if the Western Cape is independent from South Africa. While the Premier speaks of protecting relations with the US, he remains silent as his MEC undermines critical economic ties with China. Who, then, is the DA truly serving? The people of the Western Cape or foreign political interests?
Despite these governance failures, there is hope. The opposition parties in the Western Cape – ANC, EFF, PA,NCC, GOOD, Freedom Front Plus, and Al-Jama’ah (excluding the ACDP)– are working together to hold the provincial government accountable. Unlike the DA’s politics of exclusion, we believe in a Western Cape that serves all its residents, not just the privileged few. The Premier ended his speech with the words, “The Western Cape Government is for You.” But who is the“ you” he refers to? Wealthy business interests or the working-class residents of this province? As we mark the 70th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, we must ask ourselves: which side is the DA on? The side of ordinary South Africans striving for a better life, or the side of economic recklessness and entrenched inequality?
The opposition stands ready to hold this government accountable and build a province that works for everyone – not just a select few.
* Khalid Sayed is the Leader of the Opposition in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature.
Cape Argus
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