Cape Town's image as a model of governance is crumbling, revealing a need for dedicated leadership to address the city's growing challenges.
For years, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has presented Cape Town as the undisputed benchmark for its own brand of good governance in South Africa. It has become the party's showcase city - held up as the jewel in the DA’s governance crown.
Over the past fortnight, that carefully cultivated image has begun to crack. One after another, some of South Africa's most respected institutions have raised serious concerns about the governance of the City of Cape Town.
It must be emphasised that these are not political attacks from opposition parties or election-year talking points. They are findings and judgments from independent constitutional institutions, oversight bodies and credible investigative journalism that deserve serious attention.
The Public Protector found that residents in township communities had been failed by persistent shortcomings in the delivery of basic municipal services.
