GOOD Press Statement by Suzette Little,
GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor & Caucus Chairperson
15 September 2022
Residents of Macassar are being denied an opportunity for economic upliftment with mere crumbs allocated to the community as part of a 78 million rand project.
When development projects come to a certain area, it is a usual requirement, as part of the government tender, that a percentage of the tender goes towards the upliftment of a community in terms of local resources and training though Contract Participation Goals.
As it stands, the Western Cape Province is building a primary school with a multimillion rand budget, which is one of the few, if not only, investments in this area. This should be a golden opportunity for the community to benefit from the project by including them in the construction and development of the school.
However, the tender reflects very small, if any, percentages allocated specifically to the community of Macassar (Ward 109), with the majority going to the broader Cape Town Metropole and Western Cape Province.
In terms of the local labour component, the community has only 4%, compared to the 16% and 13% of the other two areas. When it comes to local suppliers and manufacturers, Macassar has been allocated 0.4% with the metropole and province receiving 11.6% and 5% respectively. In the case of women empowerment, 0% of the tender has been earmarked for the community.
At a meeting with the community, which we attended in order to support and assist the community, the Provincial Government was unable to explain how these percentages were determined.
Despite attempts to address this with the province, the community’s concerns have fallen on deaf ears.
This has now created a challenging environment for the service providers to operate in, while the community is ready to take to the streets.
The failure to meaningfully use the Contract Participation Goals as a way to uplift a community is a lost opportunity to develop the area, support small business and empower local residents, including women.
GOOD calls on the provincial government to keep to the promise of creating a job in every home, by using these opportunities in this community to improve their lives.
Media Enquiries:
Suzette Little, GOOD: City of Cape Town Councillor
Cell: 073 321 5036
Email: suzettel@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 0733671223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za