Cape Town - A political scientist has said there needs to be clarity about what proponents of Western Cape devolution really want, especially given South Africa’s recent history of racial divisions guaranteed by a legal framework that kept people of colour from the levers of political power.
Political scientist Shingai Mutizwa-Mangiza was reacting to the establishment of the Western Cape Devolution Working Group by, among others, the DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille, Freedom Front Plus and the Cape Independence Party.
The parties were joined by lobby groups including AfriForum, the Cape Independence Advocacy Group (CIAG) and the Action Society.
He said groups calling for devolution had to be wary of the optics provoked by their language on such an emotive issue.
“It is one thing for people to be calling for devolution in the sense of delegating greater responsibility and control to local and provincial governments for efficiency in governance. If that is what they mean, then well and good.”
He said the language and tone of groups such as CIAG, which wants the constitutional right for provincial premiers to call referendums, was worrying.
Stellenbosch University’s School of Public Leadership director Zwelinzima Ndevu said it was short-sighted to take a permanent decision to solve problems that could be solved by getting an effective and efficient government.
“What happens when you have a government at national level that is effective and efficient, and you have a local government that is not effective and efficient, are you going to revert to the old system?”
CIAG said in a statement over the weekend that the country’s problems were self-inflicted and that since 1994 the majority of Western Cape voters had never voted for the National (Party) government.
Leader of the provincial opposition Cameron Dugmore (ANC) said the new group was an alliance of conservative and racist organisations that sought to undermine the Constitution.
“Zille’s right-wing cronies ignore the fact that less than 3% of agricultural land in our province is owned by coloured and African farmers and that 70% of urban land in our province is owned by white South Africans.”
GOOD Party secretary-general Brett Herron said there was no need for the DA to collaborate with secessionists because the Constitution specifically provided the legal basis for provincial governments to seek the devolution of functions from national to provincial governments.
mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za