The Good Party has sharply criticised Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis for what it calls a refusal to acknowledge the ongoing effects of spatial apartheid in the city.
The Good Party is calling for a comprehensive plan for social and spatial redress, arguing that policing alone will not address the root causes of crime.
Good secretary-general Brett Herron further criticised the City of Cape Town’s proposed planning by-law amendments, which aim to allow more housing in low-income areas. He warned that such measures could worsen overcrowding in already densely populated communities.
“It was a deliberate system of forced removals that pushed people of colour into underdeveloped, underserviced townships. The consequences are still with us today, high unemployment, poverty, & overcrowding create slumlike conditions.Denying this reality does not solve the crisis.
The comments come amid continued violence on the Cape Flats, including a Friday night shooting that reportedly left seven people dead. The party said these tragedies highlight the urgent need to confront “the complex social and structural conditions” that continue to fuel crime.