The DA is blowing its horn for nothing
SINCE the DA came to power, it has claimed that the Western Cape is the best-run province and Cape Town the best-run city. They came to power due to the majority of coloured people who, together with whites, voted for them.
But a closer look at the Western Cape reveals that such high praise is deserving only in terms of fiscal governance.
Issues relating to nation-building and redressing the unchecked imbalances of the past have largely been ignored and neglected.
Suburbs are still inhabited by the specific racial groups laid down by the apartheid-era Group Areas Act and realised via forced removals. The poor, of whom the vast majority are black, were and are still located on the outskirts of the city.
No integration of communities has taken place. People remain on the public housing waiting list for years and years. It seems housing is not a priority for the Western Cape provincial and local governments.
How many RDP houses have been built to date? Spatial planning has not transformed the landscape of the city, as it still reflects apartheid-era design.
Blacks continue to occupy the lowest-paid jobs, while whites continue to reap the benefits of the better-paying jobs. The majority of blacks remain unemployed.You just need to look at some retail shops, restaurants and the security industry to see who owns and manages these establishments.
Over the years, Africans have charged that Cape Town is “anti- black”. Whites continue to experience a far better quality of life in the Western Cape. Schools still retain their apartheid designations: high schools (whites) and senior secondary schools (blacks).
The schools in the townships remain utterly inferiorly equipped. The Western Cape Education Department has a golden opportunity to redress these evil imbalances.
Even some of the Cape’s radio stations actively entrench only English and Afrikaans.
We, as black South Africans, want to enjoy the same quality of life as white South Africans – immediately!
ZANE POOLE
Goodwood