GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament
11 March 2025
The GOOD Party is against the proposal to introduce more seats into the Western Cape Provincial Legislature, especially in light of the province’s current financial challenges. With crucial services being cut, such as the loss of 2,000 teacher posts, it is self-indulgent and irresponsible to entertain the notion of increasing the number of politicians.
Today the Western Cape Committee on Premier and Constitutional Matters decided to proceed with deliberation on a bill to increase the number of seats in the Provincial Legislature without adequately considering what the benefit to the taxpayers and residents would be.
The seats would come into effect after the 2029 election, unless the Province is dissolved and new elections held before then.
While some on the committee argues this is necessary due to population growth and the ratio of members to citizens, we must question whether this is a prudent use of taxpayer money, especially when the national and provincial treasury are grappling with funding shortages in essential areas.
Ultimately something else will be sacrificed to fund this project.
In an already constrained fiscal environment, the introduction of additional politicians will only create further financial strain.
The proposed constitutional changes alone will cost the province an estimated R4-million, not to mention the ongoing financial burden of maintaining more members in the legislature.
The Committee heard that in today’s terms the annual costs of additional members (excluding the infrastructure and administration costs) would be:
2025 – R19-million
2026 – R20-million
2027 – R21-million
This is not the time to expand a provincial legislature. We should instead be focusing on making difficult decisions to streamline government operations and reduce unnecessary costs.
We should be reviewing the three-tiered structure of government as a whole. Having a National, Provincial, and Local level of government has become an expensive and inefficient model and put pressure on vital public resources.
The GOOD Party believes that now, more than ever, we need a government that prioritises essential services over political expansion. Now is the time to reevaluate the costs of our governance system and make hard choices that support the health, education, housing and well-being of all South Africans.
Media enquiries: media@forgood.org.za