Addressing Inequality and Breaking the Stranglehold of Gangs is the Top Priority as We Build a Prosperous Western Cape for All

27 February 2024

Note to editor: These remarks were made by ActionSA’s Western Cape Premier Candidate, Angela Sobey, for the upcoming National and Provincial Elections. These remarks were made in Manenberg, Cape Town this morning.

Thank you, Mr President, or rather, President Herman ‘Fix It’ Mashaba

Provincial Chairperson, Michelle Wasserman,

Actioners,

Fellow South Africans,

Allow me to begin by expressing my humility as I stand before you to accept the nomination as the Premier Candidate for the Western Cape.

It is an honour to join you all outside my former home, the birthplace of my activist spirit. And as I return, it stands as the monument to my story.

But first and foremost, I would like to begin by thanking the President for his vote of confidence is me to lead this charge and to thank Michelle, our Provincial Chairperson of the Western Cape for her continued leadership that has been instrumental in building a credible alternative in the past year.

The story of your leadership finds no truer expression than in your tireless work within communities across the Western Cape. From Leeu-Gamka in the Karoo to Siqalokutsha in Khayelitsha, you have fought to restore the dignity for forgotten communities throughout our Province.

Now, it is both my honour and responsibility to draw inspiration from your efforts and lead this fight into the Provincial Government.

Today, as I return home to Manenberg, I am confronted by the sad reality that this community is still defined by the very same widespread poverty, underdevelopment, and escalating gang violence.

Despite decades passing, and without any real intention to uplift this community, these issues have only worsened.

It was here, during my formative years, that I committed myself to fighting the injustice that condemned our people to abject poverty and our communities to unspeakable suffering.

Years later, these conditions remain unchanged, and therefore, my commitment still stands. The fight now continues for a better and safer Western Cape FOR ALL.

Look, we are confronted by the reality that, while this province has certainly progressed, the vast majority of residents in this province, spread out across the Cape Flats, have yet to see that progress bring meaningful change in their everyday lives.

Our people are suffering! And this is a reality that no paid PR effort can mask!

It takes a 20 minute ride along the N2, to witness that, and as a consequence of the failure to address the glaring inequality, the Western Cape presents a contrasting reality or rather a tale of two provinces.

While one side features picturesque suburbs, the other reflects the harsh reality, particularly on the Cape Flats, of communities, like that of Manenberg that have been forgotten for far too long.

And this is why, my sole mission will be to guarantee that every resident of the Western Cape, regardless of their postal code, gets to live in a province where safety, equal access to services, and the chance for a dignified life are non-negotiables.

I refuse to accept another three decades where our people are left worse off than before and without hope for a better future.

I refuse to accept that communities continue to be subjected to the consequences of apartheid spatial planning, while the current government shows no evident plan to correct this injustice.

And I refuse to accept that this province persists in being defined by shameful inequality.

That is why my candidacy for Premier is centred on the fight to ensure that every resident shares in the progress of our province.

Let me be clear: Tackling inequality and restoring the rule of law are ActionSA’s top priorities!

No country or community can thrive when criminality is the order of the day, as it tragically is in the Western Cape!

Fellow South Africans,

The reality is that the Western Cape is miles away from achieving our vision and it is for this reason that the upcoming election represents an opportunity for residents to make a clear CHOICE.

We have a CHOICE between:

· Living in a province where the rule of law is upheld, and the rights of innocent, law-abiding citizens are protected, versus one where innocent children continue to be caught in the crossfire between bloodthirsty gangs.

· A province where no community is forgotten, led by a government that ensures every community receives equal access to services and opportunities or one where the inequality gap continues to widen.

So, ek sê vir elke inwoner van die Weskaap:

Indien jy genoeg gehad het, maak die onderskeiding dat byna 80% van alle bende-verwante moorde in Suid-Afrika in die Weskaap gebeur dan sal jou keuse duidelik wees.

Indien jy genoeg gehad het dat ons kinders slagoffers van dwelm sindikate is, is jou keuse duidelik.

Indien jy genoeg gehad het van 'n regering wat die gras daagliks in voorstedelike areas sny, terwyl die vullis ophoop in verarmde gemeenskappe na weke van geen vullisverwydering, dan is jou keuse duidelik.

This is why, our commitment to every resident is that our fight, hand in hand with our ActionSA representatives in Provincial Parliament will be to:

· Restore the Rule of Law by reintroducing specialised units dedicated to combating gangs and all forms of organised crime.

· We will invest in more police stations, ensuring that our communities are patrolled by well-equipped, better-paid, and skilled officers.

· We will ensure that drug dealers, who destroy our communities, face harsher penalties and are removed from our streets.

Crucially, we must couple this fight against the drug syndicates ruining our communities by investing in establishing social support networks and safe spaces for victims of crime and people struggling with drug and substance addiction, along with their families.

Make no mistake, that by recognising the important role that education plays in uplifting our communities, we will get our children off the streets and back into schools by expanding access to affordable, high-quality education, staffed by adequately trained and equipped teachers.

We will invest in uplifting our communities, recognising that crime is directly linked to the devastating socio-economic challenges facing our communities.

This is also why we will adopt a pro-poor service delivery agenda, addressing the critical needs of many forgotten communities across the Province by ensuring the efficient and equitable allocation of our resources.

To be clear, this means improving services for all communities, including those that have been forgotten. An ActionSA government will never prioritise one community over another. From the suburbs to the townships, we will ensure quality services for all.

And so,

To every drug dealer, gun peddler, hitman, money launderer, and gang boss, from Manenberg to Hanover Park, from Mitchells Plain to Gugulethu, from Khayelitsha to Elsies River, hear me loud and clear……Your days of destroying and terrorising our communities are numbered!

So, mark my words: YOUR TIME IS UP!, JOU TYD IS OP!, IXESHA LAKHO LIPHELILE!

And to every Resident of the Western Cape, know that by entrusting ActionSA with your vote, we commit to do what is necessary to ensure your safety and security!

And know this, that while the DA is prepared to work with the ANC, I am not! ActionSA has no interest in ever getting in to bed with the very same criminals that have destroyed this country.

So, bahlali, know that my fight is FOR YOU and ONLY YOU!

I'd like to conclude by asking for a moment of silence as the search for 7-year-old Joslin Smith continues, and let us pray for her safe return.