GOOD speech by Shaun August
GOOD: National Organiser and Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament
05 August 2022
Note: This is the speech that was delivered by GOOD’s National Organiser and Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, Shaun August, during yesterday’s debate in the Provincial Legislature on the consideration of the principles of subsidiarity and good governance, the devolution of powers of policing, education, health and social development.
Hon. Speaker
In our 2019 manifesto GOOD laid out a plan to #FIX South Africa, by fixing towns and cities.
The rapid change we are seeing in urbanization is due to the steady flow of people into cities and towns and it is estimated that more than 80% of South Africans will occupy town and city spaces by 2050.
We cannot do “government as usual” as this unprecedented shift towards economic hubs and urban centre’s will further drive the growing divide between the haves and have-nots.
Speaker
GOOD supports the call for Metro’s to play an increasingly bigger role in providing services currently centralized in national government, as the societal make-up of South African’s differ from town-to-town and city-to-city; therefore, a standardized approach will limit the urban patterns as statistics are suggesting.
We should be careful on how these calls for devolution are often opportunistic and used as political banter to feed an electorate hungry for change. In turn, GOOD says that:
-formal housing delivery should be devolved to metro’s
-it will stop the expansion of low-income housing on the city outskirts as these fuels urban sprawl and re-create apartheid-era dormitory suburbs of poverty.
-public transport should be integrated between busses and railways for a one ticket system to make provision for cost-effective transport that saves time, money and reduces road congestion.
-we will build the infrastructure that is needed and will provide policy certainty for investment in Metro’s.
-it will allow large metropolitan areas to produce or generate their own power.
Devolution can work, but it must serve as a solution to expedite services to poor people in town and city areas – and should not be made to be a power grab to fuel the egos of political parties who predominantly exists to serve the interest of a select few.
Media Enquiries:
Shaun August, GOOD: National Organiser & Member of Western Cape Provincial Parliament
Cell: 074 746 7378
Email: shauna@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 0733671223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za