GOOD Speech by Shaun August
GOOD National Organiser and Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament
13 April 2023
Note to editor: This statement was delivered by GOOD’s National Organiser and Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, Shaun August, as part of the debate on Freedom Month: Socio-Economic Freedom for some in the Western Cape.
Hon. Speaker
Residents in this Province are standing off against waves of extreme poverty. A growing need for food, homes, community support, health services and so many other factors are crippling our communities and the future of our children.
Speaker
Are our people free if they still live on the periphery of Cape Town and economic hubs across this province?
Are we free if spatial segregation still paves the way for housing developments?
Are we free when the office of the Premier, to this day, still fights inner-city social housing developments, Tafelberg being an example?
Are we free if there still exist different levels of service delivery, dependent on your community’s economic muscle, in municipalities across this province?
Are we free when we hear Cape Town is still the mostly unequal City in the world – almost 29 years into democracy?
The DA-led WC government is known for prioritizing the needs of the rich in the leafy suburbs, above our most needy residents in townships, the Cape Flats and informal settlements.
But we are here to offer solutions to them today:
- Integrate communities as a matter of urgency.
- Bring people closer to their places of work.
- Establish channels where business opportunities can be explored in rural communities and informal settlements.
- Make rural towns economically viable by imploring established companies to branch out to them.
- Exploit our communities’ culture and heritage for tourism purposes.
- Ensure that a standard level of services is delivered to all residents of all municipalities.
These are some solutions that would positively impact the socioeconomic deprivation our people have been subjected to.
We need to start building towards a truly free and fair Western Cape and South Africa.
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