Cape Times E-dition

Is City of Cape Town really well run?

EVERYONE has taken it as given that the City of Cape Town is a well-run metropolitan municipality.

But the parameters that are used to measure whether municipalities are well-run, are out of touch with the people and their needs.

The favourite parameters are rates collections, unqualified audit reports and favourable newspaper reviews.

But this is self-serving. Poor people that are supposed to be receiving their services care less about any of these and they do not have money to pay for services.

On the ground, the DA has created two cities within eKapa.

The borders between these cities are not physical but economic.

We have iKapa for poor people, this is the 1st City. This is defined by poor service delivery. Go to kwaLanga, Mfuleni, Khayelitsha, Wallacedene in Kraaifontein and other areas whose communities are poor and black people. Sewage is boiling from the drains into the roads. When this is reported, it takes more than a week to be responded to.

There are houses where sewage literally runs to people's doors and the road is so bad, there is no need for speed-humps.

Now, take a visit to the second City of Cape Town. The border between it and the first is bank balance.

This City has its locations as Observatory, Retreat, Durbanville, Beaconvale, Parow Valley, Brackenfell and all other such areas.

Here, if a sewer drain is blocked, it is sorted out much sooner.

This City is clean, not because its residents are more likely to clean up than those in 1st City iKapa.

It is because urhulumente (government) makes an effort.

They have their grass cut on a monthly basis by this caring government led by the DA.

Here, it is clear that this selfserving narrative of “best-run City” benefits not the majority of people of iKapa but the few people with bulged wallets, the majority of whom are white.

The majority stays in 1st City. You cannot run a best Metro when its residents are crying foul.

For the record, the best run city currently is Durban, according to a recent research.

MASILAKHE “BENNI” NGQEBE | Kraaifontein

METRO

en-za

2021-10-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://capetimes.pressreader.com/article/281608128634306

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