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