GOOD Speech by Brett Herron,
Unite for Change Leadership Council Member & GOOD member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament
24 March 2026
Note to editors, this speech was delivered during the Infrastructure Department budget vote in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature
With just half of the provincial policing function budget we could build 923 houses.
We need to reflect on what the infrastructure budget is actually delivering.
Because while infrastructure as a category is broad and important, we must be honest, this infrastructure budget will not automatically mean more houses are being built.
And right now, that is exactly the problem.
Housing delivery in this province is not keeping pace with need.
Instead, we are caught in a cycle that undermines meaningful progress.
Land is suddenly being released for housing faster than we are able to build on it.
And then, rather than accelerating construction, we end up diverting resources to protect that land from so-called unlawful occupation.
Honourable Members, this is not a sustainable model.
The model is performative – especially when the department conceded that not a single project in the social housing pipeline is currently funded.
If we are serious about delivery of affordable housing we would change our approach – adapting to the reality that we have an affordable housing crisis and that relying on conditional grants won’t fix this.
Not a single portion of the Provincial Equitable Share has been allocated to housing delivery.
This, in a context where this government frequently raises concerns about not receiving its fair share.
Yet when funds are available, housing, one of the most urgent needs in this province, is not prioritised.
As I said, there is no Social Housing Regulatory Authority funding moving through the housing pipeline.
This constrains the province’s ability to deliver at scale, particularly for working families who fall outside of traditional subsidy brackets.
And so, we are left with a plan to deliver just 5317 housing units, funded largely through the Human Settlements Development Grant from the national department.
But where are these houses being built?
Probably far away from a city centre.
Honourable Speaker, this infrastructure budget appears to favour flash over fundamentals.
Because at its core, what this province needs is not more announcements, not more land releases without follow-through.
It needs houses.
If we are serious about safety, about dignity, and about opportunity, then housing must be at the centre of our infrastructure priorities.
Because a province that truly cares does not just invest in infrastructure, it invests in homes.
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