Khayelitsha residents demand better services, Deputy President weighs in

By Cailynn Pretorius and Babalo Ndenze

Close to 1,000 Khayelitsha residents marched to the Cape Town Civic Centre on Thursday, demanding better access to services in their area.

Protesters told Eyewitness News that their neighbourhood is plagued by pothole-littered roads, non-working toilets and a lack of electricity.

The African National Congress (ANC)'s chairperson for the Dullah Omar region, Ndithini Tyhido, joined the protesters, arguing that Cape Town should not be a city defined by the divide between the rich and the poor.

“There would be nobody who would come here in these big numbers for fun,” Tyhido said. “These people are here because they really do not have toilets where they stay. They do not have access to running water. The shacks in which they reside, there are no access roads.”

DEPUTY PRESIDENT PAUL MASHATILE CRITIQUES WESTERN CAPE GOVERNANCE MODEL

Meanwhile, Deputy President Paul Mashatile stated that the Western Cape model of governance for municipalities is not the best in the country, because it neglects poor communities.

Mashatile is the latest ANC leader to attempt to downplay recent comments by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who commended that municipalities in the Democratic Alliance (DA)-run province for achieving more clean audits.

On Thursday, Mashatile told the National Assembly that Ramaphosa’s remarks were taken out of context and the President was only referring to the audits.

The Deputy President argues that despite good audit outcomes by municipalities, there are significant disparities between the poor and the rich in the Western Cape. He believes the optimal municipal delivery model should be one that benefits all communities.

He noted that although the Western Cape is often recognised for strong financial governance, the socio-economic conditions of poor communities like Khayelitsha have not improved.

“This does not reflect the lived experience of many who continue to struggle with socio-economic challenges,” Mashatile asserted. “Therefore, the Western Cape municipal governance model is not the best in the country.”

Mashatile added that audit outcomes nationally have improved slightly, with the 2023/24 municipal audit outcomes showing that 55% achieved unqualified or clean audits.

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