HANOVER PARK — ActionSA is set to unveil its Cape Town mayoral candidate at a local primary school in Hanover Park, a strategic move designed to challenge the current DA governance and outline a new vision for service delivery across the metropole.
The party has selected Voorspoed Primary School on the Cape Flats as the deliberate focal point for its election campaign. Hanover Park is widely recognized as a gang hotspot battling severe drug abuse, soaring unemployment, and deep-rooted social issues, making it a critical area requiring urgent municipal intervention.
Speaking ahead of the event, Michael Beaumont, the national chairperson of ActionSA, argued that the Western Cape urgently requires a viable political alternative. He condemned what he described as the arrogance of the Democratic Alliance’s majority in both the province and the city. Beaumont noted that during recent campaign tours with the mayoral hopeful, the party witnessed abnormal conditions that residents have simply grown to accept because the ruling party relies on the narrative that it is merely better than the ANC.
According to Beaumont, citizens deserve actual service delivery rather than just being the lesser of two evils. He painted a grim picture of the current municipal failures, citing communities where mothers bury their children daily and residents are held hostage by criminals while police and military vehicles drive past without intervening. He also highlighted severe environmental and economic crises, pointing out that 27 million liters of raw sewage are discharged into the ocean every day, while a skyrocketing cost of living is forcing ordinary people out of the city under a “take it or leave it” government attitude.
Looking toward the future political landscape, Beaumont emphasized that South Africa has entered an era of coalitions. He issued a strict warning to the DA, stating that ActionSA will refuse to support their budgets or governance if concrete solutions and dedicated financial allocations are not provided for the city’s pressing challenges. To address the security crisis, the party is calling for increased budget provisions for safety and the deployment of additional metro police officers to make up for the shortcomings of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Finally, Beaumont directed criticism at the Government of National Unity (GNU). He pointed out the contradiction of the current political landscape, noting that the same political party currently controls the city, the provincial government, and the national government. Despite this unified control, he argued that nothing has improved, attributing the stagnation to a complete absence of political will.