This was Premier Alan Winde's call to action ahead of the President's State of the Nation address tonight.
"This devolution of power brings government closer to the people and ensures localised responses to the challenges our people face. We hope to see a commitment to this approach, especially in budget allocations, and look forward to resourcing inequities being addressed and rectified in the State of the Nation Address," Winde said.
"The announcements made in the President's important speech will have a direct impact on the people of the Western Cape. We hope to hear from him on a number of important areas that will enable us to fight the pandemic of unemployment in the Western Cape and South Africa.
Among the most pressing issue Winde called to be addressed, is the restoration of Metrorail’s Central Line and getting PRASA back on track.
"The national state-owned entity, PRASA, has been undermined through years of state capture and corruption. The result is that the greater Cape Town area lacks a functional rail option for residents to travel to work and home safely. This is particularly the case for our poorest neighbourhoods, with the closure of the Central Line impacting millions of people.
"Our residents need a commitment, matched with the necessary resourcing, to get this situation rectified as soon as possible. The Western Cape Government is willing to be the implementing partner so that this is achieved."
Winde urged the President to outline a clear strategy to address police resourcing constraints.
"The poorest communities of the Western Cape are often the most under-resourced in terms of SAPS allocations. Not only is there a shortage of police personnel, suitable vehicles, and POP units in the province – but the distribution of resources is also unequal. At Bothasig Police Station, for example, the police to population ratio is 1:100, compared to a ratio of 1:895 in Ravensmead.
"This was emphasised in the judgement handed down by the Equality Court in 2018 which found that the system of allocation of human resources used by the National SAPS discriminates unfairly against poor people."
Winde brought to light the inefficiencies at the Port of Cape Town.
"The Port of Cape Town, which is also run through a national entity, is not functioning as it should, with inefficiencies impacting exports from our region," Winde said. "We need a modern, and efficient port if we are going to grow the economy and create jobs.
"Getting this fixed should be a priority for the National Government."
Lastly Winde asked for the National State of Disaster to be lifted.
"It is now time to normalise our response to the Covid-19 pandemic, through existing national public health legislation. We urge the President to take the country into his confidence and set out his plan, which should result in the declaration expiring on 15 February."
Winde said Provincial Government remains committed to working together with all levels and spheres of government, as well as civil society and the private sector to address the province's common challenges. We will continue to strengthen these partnerships in the interest of service delivery excellence.
On 15 February 2022, Winde will be delivering the State of the Province Address in Velddrif.
