These Councillors Voted Against Fire and Flood Disaster Relief for People Living in Informal Settlements in Cape Town

GOOD Statement by Axolile Notywala, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor:

Today, 29 January 2026, during a virtual council meeting, the Democratic Alliance in the City of Cape Town voted against a motion to establish a Disaster Relief and Contingency Fund. The establishment of the fund that the DA voted against would enable rapid, effective, and dignified responses to fire and flood disasters in Cape Town.

On Friday, 09 January 2026, over 5, 000 people were left homeless following a devastating fire that swept through the Site 5 informal settlement in Dunoon. Every year, thousands of Cape Town residents living in informal housing are severely affected by disasters such as fires and floods.

Between December 2025 and January 2026, thousands of families living in informal settlements in Imizamo Yethu, Khayelitsha, Langa, and Blikkiesdorp, as well as backyarders in areas such as Vygieskraal, Manenberg, and others, were affected by fires that left families homeless and poorer.

In a context where climate change-related risks pose ongoing threats to life, housing, and municipal infrastructure, particularly for families living in vulnerable communities such as informal settlements and informal backyarders, disaster response can no longer be seen as an ad-hoc function. It must be something the City of Cape Town proactively plans and budgets.

The motion, which I tabled on behalf of the GOOD Party in council, was supported by Al-Jama’ah, NCC, ACDP, ARA, PA, and the DI. The Democratic Alliance is the only party that voted against this motion. This is the same party that plans to spend and waste R180 million to hide poverty and informal settlements along the N2.

The DA’s vote against establishing a Disaster Relief and Contingency Fund is anti-poor.

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