GOOD Speech by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament
27 February 2025
*Note: This speech was delivered by Brett Herron at today’s Debate on the Western Cape State of the Province address .
The State of the Province Address reaffirmed what many of us already knew: building a transformed and equitable society is being neglected – sacrificed to maintain an illusion of prosperity. But illusions do not save lives, build futures, or serve the people of this province.
Let’s begin with safety.
The Safety Plan, a multi-billion-rand initiative, was developed without public participation. How can it be effective if those it aims to protect were never consulted?
Premier Winde says this province is built on robust dialogue and listening.
Why not engage with the crime affected communities, through a crime summit, before spending any more money on a plan that isn’t working?
The crime stats speak for themselves. With one quarter left, murders stand at 3,399, attempted murders at 3,397, rapes at 3,465, and sexual assaults at 1,077.
If this trend continues, the murder toll could reach 4,703. This is not an anomaly; it’s an escalating crisis. Over the last three years, murder numbers climbed from 4,109 to 4,150 to 4,544. We need a new plan, one that directly addresses gang violence and treats it as the epidemic it is. We must invest in under-resourced communities and offer alternatives to gang life. Our youth deserve opportunities, not violence.
Now, let’s talk about education.
The Premier said he cared about teachers, but the evidence begs to differ. The brutal teacher post cuts and the increasing teacher-student ratio is a direct attack on the quality of education. The education budget was either a massive miscalculation or a fabrication. A R3.8 billion shortfall over three years, just months after a balanced budget was tabled and approved by parliament, is unacceptable and inexplicable. Honourable Van Minnen suggests we give up our salaries to fund a teacher. What she carefully avoids is that the Province was allocated R93.3 billion, in the MTEF, based on Education demand, but only allocated R84.9 billion to Education. It was your government that cut education funding by R8 billion. And who bears the brunt of these cuts? Schools in poorer communities, where teacher posts are being slashed despite already struggling with large class sizes.
This is an injustice to our children and their futures. Furthermore, education is not just about numbers, it’s about quality and accessibility. We need more investment in early childhood education, proper infrastructure in our schools, and support for teachers who are stretched beyond capacity. We cannot allow a generation of students to be let down by a failing system.
The third issue we must confront is affordable housing.
Just two weeks ago the Province was dragged to the Constitutional Court because of its failure to leverage public land, in the inner city of Cape Town, to provide access to affordable housing. Premier Winde says this province is built on robust dialogue and listening: well, instead of demonising those who are campaigning for affordable housing why not engage with them? We have a government with commitment issues and a community with abandonment issues. In 2011, six sites were earmarked for redevelopment as part of the Central City Regeneration Programme, but the programme was quietly abandoned. Key sites like these and Tafelberg must be developed for housing that serves the people, not left to stagnate. These locations symbolize a broken system where potential solutions remain locked behind inaction. Housing is about dignity, security, and economic mobility.
When people live closer to economic hubs, they have better access to jobs, schools, and healthcare. Prioritizing inner-city affordable housing is not just a moral obligation; it is an economic necessity. It is astounding that the Premier can still only point to the Better Living Model – one of Premier Helen Zille’s “Gamechanger” projects – started in 2016.
The Premier could not even announce one new Better Living project. A free house is not necessarily an affordable house.
A free house, on the peripheries, means nothing without affordable transport.
Rail recovery should not be a wish, a vague long-term ambition nor a slogan on a poster. It should be an immediate priority. The provincial government must start working, meaningfully, with PRASA to recover the rail services and actively remove the blockages in order to restore it to full capacity. Reliable public transport is the backbone of an inclusive economy. Without it, people are stranded, cut off from opportunities, and left to navigate an unreliable and expensive system.
The people of this province deserve better. We deserve a government that prioritizes safety, education, housing, and transport, not as political talking points, but as fundamental rights.
And, as the Premier said it is time to “step up”.
We expect the Premier to take the lead. Take those steps you seem afraid or reluctant to take.
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