Several opposition parties have expressed disappointment over Western Cape Premier Alan Winde’s State of the Province Address. Winde opened the 2nd session of the 7th Western Cape Provincial Parliament in Beaufort West in the central Karoo on Wednesday night.
Job creation, economic growth, safety and infrastructure investment were just some of the issues that were high up in his government’s priorities.
However, some opposition parties say he failed to address other pressing issues.
“We are disappointed in the fact that nothing was said about illegal foreigners taking the jobs or employment opportunities of people. There’s no action plan, effective plan to fight violence and crime in the province. We have to come up with measures to protect the job opportunities of our people in the province,” says leader of the Patriotic Alliance in the Provincial Parliament, Basil Petrus.
VIDEO| Premier Alan Winde’s State of the Province Address:
Meanwhile, the African National Congress (ANC) in the province has lashed out at Winde over job cuts in the education sector.
Winde said they will create jobs and focus on economic growth over the five years.
The ANC’s Muhammad Khalid Sayed says they expected an update on teacher posts in the province.
“The Western Cape Premier actually said absolutely nothing about the plans of his government going forward. He was just reflecting on what has been done, speaking highly about the results in many of our underprivileged schools. That’s well and good and we welcome that. But absolutely nothing about the cutting of over 2 400 teaching posts. You can commend teachers, but you are taking away their jobs.”
More people can find a job in the Western Cape than anywhere else in the country. For the last half of 2024 our employment rate was below 20% at 19,6%. The Western Cape now leads on all four employment metrices that Statistics South Africa measures quarterly.
These are not just…
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) February 26, 2025
Tourism is a critical economic driver. The World Economic Forum estimates that for every 30 new tourists to a location, 1 job is created. We have, therefore, set a target of 1 million additional international tourists which will help create over 33,000 more jobs.
The number of…
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) February 26, 2025
