The Western Cape is by far the most thriving province in South Africa. Gauteng’s economy may still be bigger and in a certain sense more diversified, but in terms of virtually every other variable it is the best place to live.

Every credible index ranks its municipalities as the top ones in the country. Local municipalities such as Drakenstein, Swartland, Mossel Bay and Overstrand drop out of the top ten on these indices. Cape Town is and will remain the best metro in the country long into the future. Good Governance Africa’s latest “Governance Performance Index” – which measures, inter alia, economic development and administration of municipalities across South Africa – is unequivocal about this: 15 of the top 20 municipalities in the country are in the Western Cape. Emigrants returning from overseas are mostly heading to Cape Town.

While many people in the north of South Africa who don’t travel often simply can’t believe that government is doing what it is supposed to, many people in the Western Cape are shocked when I tell them how badly many parts of the country is being governed. I spent years travelling throughout South Africa and saw nothing but poverty, despair and decay in most places. Even Gauteng’s metros and towns are struggling with finances, leadership and building sufficient infrastructure.

To be sure, there are exceptions outside of the Western Cape, but they really are extremely rare and dwindling. Provinces such as the North West, Free State and the Eastern Cape have mostly collapsed at local and provincial level. Their municipalities are poorly led, they are shorn of technical expertise, and their roads and other infrastructure are in a state of disrepair. Close to 40% of North West’s local municipalities are currently under provincial administration, which of course is no panacea for their enduring challenges.

This is a feather in the cap of authorities in most parts of the Western Cape – there are also vulnerable municipalities in the province – but it does give rise to some significant dilemmas that are not dissimilar to what developed countries in the West are experiencing. Leaving aside the fanciful notion of secession for a moment and focusing on the reality of the Western Cape being one of South Africa’s provinces, the Western Cape needs the rest of South Africa to also function effectively.

The burden of excellence

The reason people are flocking from Central America and elsewhere to the US, and from Africa and the Middle East to Europe, is because the contrast in quality of life is so significant. Mass migration is testament to the intertwinement of better economic opportunities, superior services and various freedoms veritably signaling the end of history.

However, allowing millions more of mostly poor people into a country the size of Great Britain, Belgium or Ireland will ultimately have deleterious ramifications. A cost-of-living crisis is already underway in cities such as London and Amsterdam, with a shortage of housing and overcrowded public transport leaving people unable to afford and access the very things that should be second nature in a First World country.

Moreover, most recent immigrants do not have the skills to render them employable in any meaningful way and they simply become dependent on government largesse. This is funded by citizens’ tax money. If you are concerned about climate change – and the West decidedly is – you should be even more worried about migration and overcrowded cities and countries as its causes.

The same goes for the Western Cape. After being accused of only building bicycle lanes for white people by finance minister Enoch Godongwana and not doing enough for black people, Western Cape premier Alan Winde shot back by stating that four out of every five rands spent in the province go to delivering services to the poor. This is laudable and true, but also problematic.

The Western Cape needs all kinds of labour in an economy that is vastly outpacing the rest of the country. However, it is unfair for ratepayers to continuously subsidise a great number of unschooled and unemployed people whose sole aim for moving elsewhere is to get more and better free goodies from government. This is why other parts of South Africa – and in particular the Eastern Cape with its vast manufacturing potential and natural beauty – desperately need to be revitalized. It will not happen under ANC control. The Western Cape cannot accommodate everyone who is labouring under ANC rule. People need to change the politics elsewhere in the country and start practicing self-reliance.

Furthermore, the dream of building a more robust federal structure in South Africa is to a large extent dependent on what happens in the rest of South Africa. The Western Cape cannot expect perquisites such as devolved power over electricity, policing and transport if the rest of the country can’t be bothered with it. Pacts between two big provinces with a history of federal inclinations, such as the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, could veritably start moving the federalist needle. Parliament and the national government still have a pivotal role to play in bringing about federalism. Yet again, the ANC’s centralist impulses won’t allow it as long as they are the ruling party. But this could change as the political fulcrum shifts – first in the provinces and then nationally. Perhaps not in 2024, but it is possible sometime in the foreseeable future.

Lastly, the Western Cape is indeed doing exceedingly well at the business of business. Tourism is booming, its tech and finance industries are in rude health, the agriculture and manufacturing sectors are strong, while construction is moving along swiftly. Apart from exports, it sells many of its products in South Africa and currently, local demand is vapid. A vibrant and growing South African economy will be beneficial for everyone, not least the Western Cape.

The Western Cape needs and deserves a better South Africa. Although many people in the Western Cape would like to simply forget about the rest of the country, the reality is much more complicated and politics is an inextricable element of managing the province’s fate. Your move, South Africa.

Dr Eugene Brink is an entrepreneur, business consultant and analyst based in Paarl.