Premier’s reply to the debate on his Opening Address

Yesterday, 1 August 2024, Premier Alan Winde replied to the debate on his Opening Address at the first session of the 7th Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP).

Below is a summary of the salient points of the Premier’s reply:

Cooperative governance

Premier Alan Winde stated that he shared the sentiment of the leader of the official opposition in the WCPP to work together and engage on the most pressing issues facing the Western Cape and its residents.

“The leader of the opposition has an important role to play in this House in holding the Western Cape Government accountable, as do all members in the opposition benches,” said the Premier.

Premier Winde reiterated that “our rhetoric as public representatives matters. It is our duty to hold the space for difficult conversations, not further inflame them or create anxiety for our residents”. This is especially important when sensitive and important issues are raised.

Plans of action to take the Western Cape forward

Responding to criticism that the Premier failed to outline a detailed plan of action that the Western Cape Government (WCG) will utilise to improve the lives of the province’s residents, he pointed out that this is a government already at work, his second term provides him with an opportunity to “double down” on much of what he started in his first term. He also pointed out that his Cabinet is currently finalising the Provincial Strategic Plan (PSP) 2025 – 2030, which further informs crucial policies around – amongst others - safety, economic growth, and job creation that have previously been and will be key priorities for the term ahead. “We have been steadily implementing the various policies that speak to our priorities. We regularly review our plans to see whether there are any gaps so that we can improve them,” he stated.

Western Cape Safety Plan

Among the numerous programmes that have been implemented by the provincial government is the Western Cape Safety Plan, which is regularly assessed. Premier Winde lamented, “It is devastating that 4 000 people are being murdered in this province each year. The constitutional mandate to fight crime lies with the South African Police Service (SAPS). We need to try something else and that is what we are doing in this province with the Safety Plan. Five years ago, when it was implemented, the Western Cape had an alarmingly high murder rate but we have managed to steadily push down the murder rate.”

“This is evidenced by an independent analysis of SAPS data on changes in the per capita murder rate in four provinces (Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, Western Cape) with the highest murder rate over two consecutive periods (2011/12 – 2022/23). The Western Cape is the only province that has seen a decrease in murders. But one murder is one too many and that is why I am looking forward to the Safety Plan ‘version 2.0’. We are always learning and improving. You cannot only police your way out of the murder rate that we have. We all owe it to our residents to collectively find new ways to eradicate crime.”

The WCG has also launched the Violence Prevention Unit, which examines the root causes of violent crime and ensures that government resources are better utilised to deal with the root causes.

He urged opposition members to help the WCG to, “End this horrendous scourge of violent crime.”

Devolution of critical functions

The WCG will keep fighting for the devolution of authority over certain critical functions, namely policing, rail and logistics. The Premier said, “I hope that through the GNU, National Government will be convinced that this is the right approach if we are to resuscitate economic growth and more effectively combat crime – two issues which are so important to our residents: jobs and safety.”

Reducing informal settlements

The Premier agreed with calls made in the House to reduce the number of informal settlements across the province. He said that plans must be put in place to lift more people out of poverty and allow people the opportunity to find dignified shelter.

Electricity tariffs

Premier Winde acknowledged that high electricity tariffs are hitting residents hard. He urged opposition members to oppose Eskom’s request to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) for a 36.15% tariff increase for 2025 for the power utility’s customers. He said, “I sincerely hope that you will support this government in vehemently objecting to this.”

He challenged claims that the City of Cape Town’s (CoCT) lifeline tariff is the highest of all metros in the country. He explained, “If you take all the other metros in South Africa, their increases from the 2022/23 to the 2023/24 financial years are 15.1%. The CoCT’s has decreased by 5.1%. The CoCT has the lowest lifeline tariff nationally and is the only metro that reduces the price of subsidised electricity for the poor and provides a bigger cross-subsidy this year to help those who need it the most.”

Extortion mafias

Premier Winde lashed out at so-called extortion mafias which are preventing many critical infrastructure projects in the province from being completed. “Extortion mafias are killing so many businesses and destroying too many opportunities for our residents,” he lamented. He lauded steps taken by the CoCT to combat criminals who are holding construction projects to ransom and urged residents to report extortion.

George building disaster

The Premier provided an update on the status of the investigation the WCG launched into the cause of the building collapse tragedy that occurred in George in early May 2024. The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure (WCDoI) has received an update from the structural engineering firm which has been tasked by the provincial government to probe the incident. It is one of several probes into the disaster.

He said, “If the various investigations are not satisfactory, I will establish a commission of inquiry. I do have that power within the Constitution. But I must give the SAPS and Department of Employment and Labour the space to complete their investigations. Those who are complicit in this devastating tragedy must be brought to book.”

He continued, “Social workers from the Western Cape Department of Social Development are still providing support to the survivors and families of those who died. They have been there from the very beginning. We will continue to make sure that support is there for them.” He again praised the NGOs and other stakeholders who assisted disaster management agencies in the aftermath of the incident.

He also lauded the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) which was instrumental in coordinating rescue and recovery efforts.

Planning better for the future

To the increased frequency of natural disasters plaguing the province, Premier Winde said that the WCG will continue investing heavily in programmes across the government to mitigate the impact of the climate change crisis. This includes how damaged infrastructure is repaired. “Our Department of Infrastructure has been working closely with tertiary education institutions to develop future-fit approaches to building back better after disasters strike. We must continue and intensify our ‘future-thinking to be better prepared’.”

The Western Cape deserves its fair share of the budget

The Premier reiterated that a critical focus of the provincial government over the next five years will be financial sustainability and that he will fight for what the residents of the province deserve. “I want this entire house to fight for our fair share of funding and what is owed to the province,” he emphasised.