Voorsitter, agb Minister, agb kollegas, Suid-Afrika is 'n groeiende land wat al hoe meer mense van alle vlakke van die samelewing lok.
So is Kampsbaai een van die gebiede wat bykans `n 60% styging in eiendomswaardes beleef het, terwyl die res van die provinsie, soos in die hele land, 'n afname van 10% in huispryse ondervind het. Dit is een van die gebiede wat die Stad Kaapstad "silver spoon"-areas noem. Dit word gedoen omdat die mense daar gereken word asof hulle met die spreekwoordelike welvarende silwer lepel in die mond gebore is.
In uiterste skrille kontras daarmee, bly honderde, selfs duisende mense in Kaapstad onder die skreiendste omstandighede. Die uiterste armoede en haglike toestande heers daar, terwyl groot dele van die stad se mense ongestoord hulle gang gaan en talle gesiglose arm mense ignoreer. Wat meer is, die Stad Kaapstad reken self bykans 'n halfmiljoen wooneenhede is nodig om die agterstand met behuising binne sy stadsgrense uit te wis.
'n Metroraad is 'n munisipale of plaaslike bestuursowerheid wat ruim belasting insamel en ook toekennings van ander sfere van regering ontvang om dienste aan sy inwoners te lewer. Dit is 'n internasionaal aanvaarbare norm dat regerings belastings van alle mense invorder en dan daardie geld in die openbare belang bestee. 'n Groot deel daarvan word gebruik om die infrastruktuur en lewensgehalte van veral armer inwoners te verbeter. Anders het die rykes strate van goud gehad, terwyl die gewone mense in modder en riool moes rondploeter.
Dit is hierdie basiese grondslag van sy taak as plaaslike regering - en ek herhaal, regering - wat die DA-misleide raad van Kaapstad doelbewus poog om te omseil. Selfs van daardie onheilige samespanning tussen partye, wat nie een 'n wyk in die laaste verkiesing kon wen nie, en die jakkalsagtige DA se poging om die stadsregering te kaap, het daar dadels gekom. So ook van die leidende DA se mooi broodjies in manifeste en beleidstukke oor hoe 'n munisipaliteit moet werk.
Wat die DA-beheerde koalisie sedertdien gedoen het - die ander partye is mos nou netjies met soustreinposte stil gemaak - sal in 'n duisend jaar geen verskil maak om Kaapstad 'n plek te maak waar gewone mense 'n aanvaarbare bestaan kan voer nie. Inteendeel, die DA se ''English lips'' en ''angry white overlords'' doen alles in hul vermo om sy nasionale en provinsiale regeringsvennote se werk ongedaan te maak, 'n atmosfeer teen hulle te skep, en om moedswillige vertragingstaktiek toe te pas.
Maatskaplike behuising is 'n hol begrip vir 'n party wat net na die belange van sy ryk skenkers en middelklasondersteuners omsien. [Tussenwerpsels.] Hy het geen belang by die lot van arm mense nie en sal net lippediens betoon om die sogenaamde regte dinge te s, maar in die praktyk net mooi niks doen om die armes se las te verlig nie.
Hoewel Kaapstad die oorgrote aantal verhuurbare wooneenhede vir arm mense in hierdie provinsie besit, doen daardie raad bitter min om dit behoorlik in stand te hou en voel vere om nog meer mense te help om ook 'n holte vir hul voet te vind. Die DA-geleide Kaapstad se standpunt hieroor is duidelik: raadslid Frank Martin en burgemeester Helen Zille het in Delft mense ondersteun, en skelm in die middel van die donker nagte diegene besoek, wat ander inwoners van die stad as buitestaanders gebrandmerk het, om hul grond en huise te beset.
Oor mense wat in die vlaag gewelddadige xenofobiese aanvalle ontheem is, het Zille in 'n brief in Die Burger te kenne gegee dat sy net van hierdie probleem ontslae wil raak. Stuur hulle terug na hul lande van oorsprong en die provinsie moet die versorging van die mense oorneem, het sy geskryf. Hierdie is die bekendste bewys van die Engelse libertynse, Nimby-sindroom van ''not in my back yard'', agb Watson. [Tussenwerpsels.]
Dieselfde allergiese gedrag is sigbaar in sy hantering van mense wat nie vir die DA stem nie of wat hy as vreemdelinge of inkommers beskou, agb Krumbock. Die fariseragtigheid is in kontras met die DA se ooparm verwelkoming van DA-ondersteuners uit ander dele van die land en selfs buitelandse DA-skenkers wat hulle hier kom vestig. Dus, die DA verwelkom jou net as jy 'n DA-lid of 'n DA-ondersteuner is. So nie, is jy persona non grata. Of jy 'n wettige inwoner en belastingbetaler is, tel nie punte nie. Zille is daarvolgens net burgemeester vir die DA en sien net na hul belange om.
Dit is ook te sien in die manier waarop wykstoekennings bestee is. Dit is net in DA-wyke gedoen. Die DA-stadsraad het geen beduidende of behoorlike voorsiening in sy begroting, wat vandag voor daardie raad dien, gemaak nie. Hy wil nie genoeg geld gee om arm mense sonder huise te help nie. Daar word ook nie grond gekoop om mense op te vestig nie. Die grond wat daar is, word nie beskikbaar gestel nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr F ADAMS: Chairperson, hon Minister, colleagues. As a growing country, South Africa is attracting more and more people from all walks of life.
In Camps Bay we have an area that has experienced an almost 60% increase in property values, while the rest of the province, like the whole country, has experienced a 10% drop in house prices. It is one of the areas called "silver spoon" areas by the City of Cape Town. This is because the people there are regarded as having been born with the proverbial affluent silver spoon in the mouth.
In absolutely glaring contrast, hundreds or even thousands of people in Cape Town are living under the worst conditions, in abject poverty and desperate circumstances, while large sections of the city's people go on undisturbed, ignoring the many faceless poor people. Moreover, the City of Cape Town itself estimates that about half a million housing units are needed to address the housing backlog within the city limits.
A metro council is a municipal or local government authority which collects taxes in abundance and also receives allocations from other spheres of government in order to render services to its inhabitants. It is an internationally accepted norm that authorities collect taxes from all people and then spend this money in the public interest. A large part of it is used to improve the infrastructure and quality of life of especially the poorer inhabitants. Otherwise the rich would have streets of gold while the average people would be sloshing along in mud and sewage.
It is this underlying principle of its task as local government - and I repeat, government - which the DA-misled council of Cape Town is purposefully attempting to evade. Even from the unholy coalition between parties that were unable to win a single ward in the last elections and the fox-like DA, in its attempt to hijack the city government, nothing has come. The same goes for the governing DA's attempt to curry favour in manifestos and policy documents as regards how a municipality ought to work.
What the DA-controlled coalition has done since then - of course, the other parties have been silenced with gravy train jobs - won't make a difference in a thousand years in making Cape Town a place where average people can make an acceptable living. In fact, the DA's "English lips" and "angry white overlords" are doing everything in their power to undo the work by its partners in national and provincial government, creating an atmosphere against them and applying wilful delaying tactics.
Social housing is a hollow concept for a party that only looks after the interests of its rich donors and middle-class supporters. [Interjections.] It has no interest in the fate of the poor and will only pay lip service so as to say what sounds "correct", but in practice it will simply do nothing to alleviate the plight of the poor.
Although Cape Town commands the large majority of rental residential units for the poor in this province, that council is doing precious little as regards their proper maintenance and also completely disregards helping others to find a place to live. The position of the DA-led Cape Town is clear in this regard. Councillor Frank Martin and Mayor Helen Zille supported the people in Delft, but in the middle of the night they stealthily visited those people who had branded other citizens of the city as outsiders in order to occupy their land and homes.
As regards those who were displaced in the wave of xenophobic violence, Zille has intimated in a letter in Die Burger that she just wants to be rid of this problem. Send them back to their countries of origin and the province must take over the care for those people, she wrote. This is the most public proof of English liberalism, the Nimby - not in my backyard - syndrome, hon Watson. [Interjections.]
The same allergic attitude can be seen in their treatment of people who do not vote for the DA or who they regard as strangers or newcomers, hon Krumbock. The pharisaical attitude is in contrast with the DA's open-armed welcoming of DA supporters from other parts of the country and even foreign DA donors who come to settle here. So the DA only welcomes you if you are a member of the DA or a supporter. If not, you are a persona non grata. Whether you are a legitimate resident and taxpayer doesn't count. In those terms, Zille is mayor of the DA only and looks after their interests only.
This is also evident from the way in which ward allocations have been spent. It was only done in DA wards. The DA city council has made no significant or proper provision in the budget now serving before that council. They will not give enough money to help those poor people without homes. Land to settle people on is also not being procured. The existing land is not being made available.]