Five kayakers rescued after getting lost in fog off Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard

The upcoming local government elections in Cape Town have sparked a heated debate over the city's housing crisis. Representatives from 11 political parties shared their plans on how they would tackle the issue if elected to power after the November 4 polls. Jerimia Thuynsma, leader of the ANC's proportional representation team, emphasized that housing remains a significant issue in Cape Town.

He pledged that an ANC government would not merely allocate housing plans in budgets but would actually construct houses. Thuynsma also promised that long-standing waiting list holders would finally receive title deeds. Emre Uygun, a candidate for the VF Plus party, pointed out that 500,000 people are currently on Cape Town's housing waiting list, which highlights the urgent need for sustainable housing solutions and improved spatial planning.

Cheslyn Daniels of the Patriotic Alliance stressed that the party's vision is centered around the principle that "people shall govern." Under this approach, an independent oversight body will be established to monitor the allocation of funds and ensure transparency in the City's spending. ActionSA's Dereleen James argued that political parties are disconnected from the lived realities of Cape Town's communities.

She proposed a "30-minute City" concept, where residents live closer to essential services like schools, jobs, and churches. Eddie Andrews, the City's Deputy Mayor and Spatial Planning MMC, defended the DA's actions, stating that the City had invested over R10 billion in housing in a single financial year. He acknowledged that while jobs continue to be a challenge, the DA has created more employment opportunities than the other three metropolitan mayors combined.

Brett Herron, the GOOD Party's mayoral candidate, called for public land to be made available for public purposes such as housing, sports amenities, children's play parks, and skills development centers. He urged the City to stop selling public land and criticized the DA's housing policies for perpetuating spatial injustice in Cape Town.

On homelessness, Herron advocated against the criminalization of homeless individuals, citing a US Court of Appeals ruling that deemed being homeless to be a human right.