Province’s quality of life speaks louder than empty critiques

THE misguided opinions of a representative of the SACP in this newspaper recently, got the facts on the Western Cape success story so very wrong.

Since inheriting a legacy of ANC botched government in the Western Cape, the DA has gone on to deliver a better quality of life than any other province in South Africa, most notably to the poorest communities of this province.

We spend 76 percent of our budget in poor communities because we are committed to making the biggest changes in our communities.

Today, the people of the Western Cape have the highest access to water and sanitation for their households, of any province. We’ve seen pass rates for matric climb at our poorest schools, with Khayelitsha schools specifically rising from 53.6 percent passes in 2009 to 76.1 percent passes today.

The people of the Western Cape also have the best opportunity to get jobs, with the lowest broad unemployment rate in South Africa. Fewer and fewer people are giving up looking for work because more and more opportunities are created in the Western Cape.

In fact, since 2009, we’ve reduced discouraged work seekers by 33 percent. In other provinces, people are forced to give up looking for work because ANC corruption destroys opportunities for the poor, where the ANC governs.

The DA administration has introduced direct delivery of critical medication to the front doors of poor residents who can’t get to clinics, and we’ve built three new world-class hospitals in Langa, Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha. People in the Western Cape now have access to the best health care in South Africa.

There is new First World connectivity among residents, with 51 000 users now on free wi-fi networks, and 384 new wi-fi locations across the province coming online from this year, offering 250MB free data per month to everyone.

Indeed, the Western Cape is a Spring of Hope for South Africa, highlighting what our country can be with good governance.

And we are not resting on these laurels. The DA administration in the Western Cape continues to improve and deliver in more ways that lift the quality of life of all, especially the poor.

We will upgrade and rebuild 29 health-care sites over the next three years, bringing them up to the highest standard. We will build and complete 19 new schools in the next 12 months, replacing outdated school classrooms and facilities. We care for every one of our pupils, and along with new schools, we will roll out broadband to 1 250 schools, and 500 of our poorest schools will get completely refreshed computer laboratories.

Over the next three years, the DA-run provincial government will invest R17 billion on better infrastructure. This investment will create numerous job opportunities for the people of the Western Cape. The Western Cape government is serious about growing the economy and creating job opportunities, while ANC corruption in South Africa only makes poor people poorer.

We work every day to make life better in the Western Cape. We spend public money wisely, and allocate it transparently. We get value for money so that we can do more, with less budget.

The Western Cape is committed to improving the quality of life of all citizens, and to date, this record speaks louder than empty critiques.