GOOD Statement by Keagen Gertse,
GOOD Drakenstein Municipality Councillor
10 February 2026
The GOOD Party in Drakenstein is concerned about the ever emerging and development of luxury residential, rental, and commercial estates appearing almost overnight in Drakenstein. Any type of development is always welcomed; however, at the rate that Drakenstein Municipality is approving these projects, poorer residents will soon be priced out of important economic zones and ultimately their residential areas.
What is happening in this municipality is like what occurred in the City of Cape Town a few years ago: you see wealthy developers come in and invest millions in new luxury developments, paving the way for high-income earners. The rapid gentrification of working-class hubs is fundamentally altering Drakenstein’s economic landscape. As luxury developments proliferate, the resulting surge in property valuations triggers a sharp rise in municipal service costs, making the area unaffordable for long-standing residents. This shift doesn’t just affect households; it prices out local small businesses and reduces foot traffic for street vendors. Ultimately, these rising costs act as a catalyst for displacement, forcing the poor and working class out of the very neighbourhoods they built and sustained.
Municipal service costs are directly attached to the value of properties in any area. This is a common model that is used in municipalities across South Africa; however, in the 2024/2025 financial year, average property increases in Drakenstein have seen a jump of more than 50%, and the municipal service cost increased because higher valuations lead to a higher baseline amount that property rates are applied to.
In Q4, the indigent households increased from 16,689 in September 2025 to 16,764 in December 2025, a marginal increase of 75, which is indicative of a pressing need of formal households relying on municipal assistance to afford the bare minimum of basketed services. In the future, residents won’t be able to afford the increased cost of municipal services that’s brought on by property increases, a direct result of luxury residential and commercial developments.
Another point of concern should be the additional strain such developments place on already thinly spread natural resources. With an influx of residents and commercial activities, in December 2025, Drakenstein sounded the alarm to use water sparingly as the Berg River, Wemmershoek Dam, and Voelvlei Dam levels stood at 82.4% as of 1 December 2025, compared to 93.1% at the same time in 2024. While current water levels are not yet at a crisis point, the downward trend signals a serious threat. Every new luxury development adds immense pressure to our finite water supply. It is negligent for the municipality to approve these high-demand projects while failing to deliver on its own Water Services Development Master Plan. Without new boreholes, upgraded bulk services, and real investment in wastewater infrastructure, Drakenstein is sleepwalking into a water shortage that will hit the most vulnerable residents the hardest.
By not planning effectively to circumvent future risks, the poor residents will again be left behind, as wealthier households will be able to protect themselves against water shortages by getting supplies from the private sector and installing water-loss preventative measures.
Drakenstein must start prioritising the needs of the poor in the face of an influx of luxury developments, as the economic disposition, if not addressed, that these affluent estates create will not only push people out of their homes soon, but will make municipal services unaffordable. All the while draining natural resources such as water and further entrenching poverty, the new challenge for poor and working-class people will not just be a decision between buying food and electricity, but choosing between food, electricity, and the entire basket of municipal services.
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