This speech was delivered by GOOD Secretary-General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament Brett Herron during today’s Statement to the House:
Amid a well-documented budget crisis, the Western Cape Government, City of Cape Town, and the Border Management Authority have unveiled a new plan for tourists arrivals. Premier Alan Winde assures us that “these young women and men will not only give operations a boost, they will also serve as ambassadors for our province.”
Tourism is important, visitors bring in revenue and support local businesses, but what is not explained is how government suddenly finds money to make the tourist immigration experience smoother, while ordinary South Africans’ pleas for basic services are ignored.
Cape Town and the Western Cape are beautiful, but they remain deeply unequal.
Tourists whisked from the airport to hotels in Ubers may never experience the informal settlements they will see as they pass. But the people who live there, the same workers who get up at 4am to clean hotels, cook meals, and serve tourists, don’t have that luxury. They navigate sewage-filled streets, broken streetlights, and dangerous commutes where they must clutch their belongings to avoid being mugged. That is their daily reality.
The Immigration Act and policing laws make no mention of “law enforcement officers” of this kind. So what exactly are these so-called “ambassadors”?
Based on what little we know, their role seems limited to speeding up immigration queues. Is that really the best use of public money?
The Western Cape’s “safety plan” has already had a statistically irrelevant impact on the murder rate, yet millions are continually poured into it.
Meanwhile, there is never “enough” money for teachers, nurses, or properly funded social services. But suddenly, when it comes to making life easier for wealthy tourists, money appears. That is not governance in the public interest. That is a province that cares, but only if you are a rich tourist.
Good Formation: GOOD was formed in December 2018.
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Fun South African Fact: Lions, elephants and giraffes may not roam the city streets, but nature and animals are never too far away in South Africa. From vervet monkeys swinging through tree-lined streets in the suburbs and baboons frolicking around Cape Point to seals visiting the Hout Bay harbour in search of a fishy snack and an array of bird species taking to the sky at any given moment. Wildlife is all around!