Mr. Premier, Being Better Than The Rest Of South Africa is Not Good Enough

Premier Winde’s State of the Province Address will likely focus on the successes of his administration over the last 5 years. Undoubtedly, since the DA came to power in the province in 2009, we have performed better than the rest of the country. However, with a failing ANC national government in control of many aspects of governance in the province, without Cape Independence, the quality of life of Western Cape people will only worsen.

The Western Cape ranks as the province with the lowest unemployment rate in South Africa, with an expanded unemployment rate standing at 25.9%, according to Western Cape government statistics. While the DA celebrates this as a success, it would be considered a monumental failure anywhere else in the world. The Western Cape’s unemployment rate is over 3 times higher than our peers in the G20.

In regards to crime, the Western Cape is a war zone. The Western Cape murder rate of 56 per 100,000 people in the province, according to a report by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). This is higher than any other country in the world and has risen since 2010, when the rate stood at 38 per 100,000. More than 10 people a day are killed in the province.

The Western Cape also struggles with a lack of adequate housing, which is only made worse by a crisis of illegal settlements in the province. The provincial housing list has grown to over 600,000 people and will continue to grow as long as the provincial government is not in control of its own borders.

Referendum Party leader, Phil Craig says “In 2021, the DA promised a referendum on Cape Independence and polling has shown an overwhelming majority of Western Cape voters support one. Premier Winde has denied the people this referendum and therefore the State of the Province should not be a comparison between the Western Cape and South Africa. Rather, it should be a comparison between how it is doing now and how it would be doing as an independent country”.

Premier Winde is well within his constitutional rights to call a referendum on Cape Independence. This would provide the Western Cape people with control over their economic, security, taxation, and border policies. His refusal to do so only prolongs their suffering.

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