The DA has distanced itself from a proposal to split the Western Cape from SA. DA leader John Steenhuisen has lamented the idea, saying it was a “waste of energy”.
Steenhuisen was leading a march in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, against what the party said was police minister Bheki Cele’s safety grab.
He said people should focus on other things, like policing, taxation, water and electricity policies, instead of trying to break the province away from the rest of the country.
“We have said we don’t support Cape Independence, but people should have a right to a referendum to make choices going forward. We believe in a devolution of power to provinces.
“We think fighting for Cape independence is a waste of energy. What we should be doing is focusing on fighting for more powers [at a local level] for policing, transport, economic development, taxation, local government, water and electricity,” he said.
The movement is seeking to obtain the support of 1.6 million people to request a referendum on whether the Western Cape should be separated from SA.
The Cape Independence Advocacy Group (CIAG) has formally requested a referendum on Cape Independence. The request was made to Premier Alan Winde in a letter delivered to his office on 15h September 2021. Notification of the request was then delivered to the South African Presidency at Parliament on 23rd September 2021.
According to spokesperson Phil Craig, the CIAG has made this decision after consultation with its independence partners CapeXit, the Cape Independence Party, and the Freedom Front Plus, and following the decision by both the Democratic Alliance and Afriforum to pursue autonomy for the Western Cape.
“It is important that those on both sides of the Cape Independence debate understand that a referendum on Cape Independence will be the beginning and not the end of the process. From election results published by the IEC we know for a fact that the majority of Western Cape voters have never had the national government they voted for.
“They can’t express their intense dissatisfaction with the direction South Africa has taken via normal elections; you cannot unelect a government which you never elected in the first place. The constitution specifically provides a mechanism to consult the Western Cape people in precisely this situation, a provincial referendum called by the Premier and not by the President. This is democracy in action,” says Craig.
