An affidavit filed in the Western Cape High Court reveals how a criminal syndicate operating at the highest level in the Plettenberg Bay (Bitou) Municipality sought to feast on revenue generated for a sorely-needed housing contract. According to Dr Anele Hammond, representing a company associated with the duly appointed contractor, Ukhana Project, the municipality cancelled the R38m contract after she refused to participate in a corrupt scheme involving the town's top officials.

The President’s address to the nation tonight included a range of bold initiatives to support the poorest amongst us and to cushion businesses from the impact of the lockdowns and recent attempted insurrection. It included the broadest range of interventions and support systems we have seen to date. It is apparent that our government has grasped the depths of the crisis we are in, economically and socially, and is making efforts to address some of the urgent weaknesses in our economic and social systems.

The announcement of a partnership between Pfizer and Biovac to produce vaccines in South Africa for the African continent is an important breakthrough in the battle against vaccine apartheid. But the active ingredient for the vaccines will not be manufactured in South Africa, and the GOOD Party will continue to push for a patent waiver. There is no argument to be made in a so-called global village that some human beings are more deserving than others of being defended against a global pandemic.

Crumbling single-sex hostels in Cape Town's oldest townships, built to accommodate "migrant" labourers trucked in from the so-called independent homelands by private property developers at the height of apartheid, today house families living in abominable conditions for which there is no landlord in sight to assume responsibility. Because the hostels weren't built by the State, they are regarded as private property by the City of Cape Town. As a consequence, residents can't relay on the City for services. But they can't look to the "owners" of the buildings, either, as they walked away after the demise of apartheid and restoration of peoples' rights to free movement and dignity.

Pollution and degradation of South Africa’s internationally designated RAMSAR wetlands is a contravention of our global commitments to ecosystem protection. On the 7th July 2021, GOOD’s National Policy Officer, Mark Rountree, reported the pollution releases by the City of Cape Town in to the RAMSAR False Bay wetlands to the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment.

In March, the City of Cape Town made its normal noises about its Annual Winter Readiness Programme focussing on the clearing of the stormwater systems, particularly in flood prone areas. What's different, this year, is that the Winter Readiness Programme doesn't appear to actually exist. In the past, the programme has included the cleaning of gullies, catchpits, pipes and ponds - and, critically, clearing stormwater drains.

“GOOD is very concerned about the further ratings downgrades announced by Moody’s” says GOOD’s National Policy Officer, Mark Rountree. “The latest downgrades mean that, of South Africa’s 8 large metro municipalities, half of these – Cape Town, Tshwane, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay – have been downgraded by Moody’s Rating Agency during the last month.” The recent downgrades have also affected two smaller municipalities: Ekurhuleni in Gauteng and uMhlathuze in KZN.

We accept the recommendations of the former Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke that the local government elections, scheduled for October 2021, should be postponed to no later than the end of February 2022. GOOD’s submission to the judge was that the elections should go ahead in October 2021 based on the prescriptive provisions of the Constitution and before we became aware of the deadly Delta variant of the Coronavirus and the impact of the third wave.

This morning Cape Town commuters woke to the news that minibus taxis would not operate because a weekend meeting between rival taxi organisations Codeta and Cata failed to resolve their differences. The failures of the taxi associations are compounded by a failure of leadership in Cape Town and the Western Cape province. With a train service in disrepair, MyCiti bus routes being cancelled and strife in the taxi industry, hard-pressed commuters are running out of options. Commuters queue up from 4am each weekday to try to get to work in one piece and on time.

Data from a report prepared by the City of Cape Town’s Transport Department shows that the City’s road network is in critical condition and at risk of “further deterioration”. The report shows that before the last few weeks of heavy rainfall, there was already a backlog of 35 000 potholes in need of repair across the city. That’s a 40-fold increase on the 900 threshold maintenance number set just four years ago – and following recent rains the situation will now be even worse.