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Zille pushes for devolution in Western Cape, starting with policing power – working group established

Zille pushes for devolution in Western Cape, starting with policing power – working group established
Suné Payne
By Suné Payne
28 Sep 2022
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The DA in the Western Cape is pushing ahead with its call to the ANC-led national government for the province to have more policing powers — with support from a new group called the Western Cape Devolution Working Group.

A new group called the Western Cape Devolution Working Group (WCDWG) has been formed. Its aim is to “protect the rights of the people of the Western Cape” through the devolution of powers and functions away from the national government. Its first target is more policing powers for a province that keeps fighting the national government to get these powers. 

A statement attributed to Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille says the working group’s initial focus will be on “the devolution of policing powers to the province and clearing the legislative hurdles which prevent the Western Cape premier from exercising his constitutional right to directly consult the Western Cape people on specific issues via referendums”. 

An inaugural meeting of the group was held last week, said Zille. In attendance were organisations including the DA, Freedom Front Plus, African Christian Democratic Party, Cape Independence Party, AfriForum, Cape Independence Advocacy Group, Action Society, Cape Forum and several legal experts. 

“The group will use all legal means at its disposal including formal legislation, political lobbying, legal action, public participation and peaceful mass mobilisation,” said Zille. 

The call for more policing powers was a key election campaign during the DA’s 2019 election campaign — despite criticism of how this would work in comparison to its own promises. The DA has had several fights with the national government about the control of policing. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: “DA’s Geordin Hill-Lewis takes over Cape Town’s mayoral chain — and inherits party political spat over policing”

The Cape Times reported in September that Police Minister Bheki Cele said he would never consider decentralising policing powers.



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‘Alliance of conservative and racist organisations’ 


Following the announcement, the leader of the official opposition in the Western Cape legislature, Cameron Dugmore, said the move was: “nothing more than an alliance of conservative and racist organisations who seek to undermine our national Constitution and create an independent Republic of the Western Cape”. 

While the DA has maintained its stance on devolution, other parties in this new group, such as the Cape Independence Party (CIP) and Cape Independence Advocacy Group (CIAG), have made claims for the Western Cape to secede from South Africa and become its own sovereign state. Independence is something the Freedom Front Plus has also flirted with — see a 2020 story by this reporter. 

Dugmore said the parties sought to maintain economic power and privileges gained through apartheid and colonialism. 

“Instead of focusing on economic and social strategies to deal with the causes of crime, this right-wing alliance wants more police powers. They deliberately seek to create conflict with the SAPS and, in the process, undermine the united effort to defeat crime and violence.

“Extortion continues unabated in our province while the failure to address the root causes of the public transport crisis, especially in the taxi industry, creates violence in our communities.  

“We call on the people of the Western Cape, black and white, not to be fooled by words like devolution … this is informed by a racist agenda of setting up an independent Cape Republic in which wealth and privilege will stay in the hands of the few, and the vast majority of black people (African and coloured) will be marginalised.”

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2022-07-20-western-cape-government-believes-devolution-of-policing-to-provinces-is-a-no-brainer/

Western Cape responds


Western Cape Premier Alan Winde told Daily Maverick on Wednesday that the provincial government “strongly supports devolution to capable governments which can deliver services closer to communities”. 

Winde pointed to devolving policing powers as one example. 

“It is in the best interest of the people of the Western Cape, as the national government is failing to protect its citizens,” he said. 

Citing the province and City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (Leap), Winde said there had been an 8.2% drop in reported murders in areas where Leap was deployed. 

“Leap is working and as we continue to invest in the plan, we are confident murders will keep coming down,” the premier said. DM

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