Western Cape ranked best-run province

CAPE Town is the best-run big metropolitan city in the country, Western Cape is the best run province, and the province is also home to 12 of the 20 top-performing municipalities, according to two separate reports.

The Municipal Financial Stability Report, published by Ratings Afrika, has found that the DA-run Western Cape is also the most improved province from 2014 to 2018.

The highest-scoring municipality is Swartland (Malmesbury) in the Western Cape, run by the DA, followed closely by ANC-run Senqu (Lady Grey) in the Eastern Cape, just one point behind.

The Ratings Afrika report examines financial reports submitted to the Treasury and assesses the municipality’s ability to deliver services and develop and maintain the infrastructure required by its residents without unplanned increases in rates and taxes or a reduction in the level of services.

Patricia de Lille, who was mayor of the City during the time period reflected by the report, said she was proud to have led Cape Town to seven consecutive clean audits.

“This did not happen by accident. It came about by design. I kept a close watch on the City’s financial performance. In this way, we managed risks and planned for a sound balance sheet,” De Lille said.

Meanwhile, the DA’s provincial premier candidate, Alan Winde, said the report was a clear indication that where the DA governs, people are better off than in any other province.

However, the ANC caucus leader in Cape Town, Xolani Sotashe, also said that the reality on the ground tells a different story to the Ratings Afrika report.

“If they summarise what is happening on the ground, surely they will have a different response,” Sotashe said. “As we speak now, residents are up in arms. Cape Town is the most unequal city in the world, the capital of murder in South Africa. If they were running a city very well, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

EFF MP Nazier Paulsen also said the report did not reflect the lived reality of Cape Town residents.

“All the report says is that DA-led Cape Town is the best of a bad bunch,” Paulsen said.