GOOD Statement by Axolile Notywala, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor:
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Cape Town is systematically closing down democratic spaces meant to give voice to the people.
On 4 September 2025, during a Human Settlements Portfolio Committee meeting, I was silenced mid-sentence while raising the urgent concerns of social housing tenants. I was cut off on a “point of order” while reading a message from an employer, detailing how a single mother is paying over R3,000 a month just to keep her lights on at DCI in Goodwood and facing alleged extortion by security guards.
This appeal came directly because of issues I have raised before, the ongoing challenges faced by tenants at both DCI in Goodwood and Conradie Park in Thornton, particularly around unaffordable utility costs and exploitative service providers: Annasa at DCI and Smart Meter at Conradie.
While I acknowledged that some improvements were made at DCI with the assistance of City officials, the message highlights the unacceptable costs tenants continue to face, and the despair felt by families trapped in systems that exploit them.
This wasn’t just procedural interference. It was a deliberate dismissal of legitimate input and an act of silencing the lived realities of the people Council is meant to serve.
The meeting had already begun with veiled threats from Chairperson Anda Ntsondo against opposition councillors conducting oversight, a clear attempt to intimidate and suppress scrutiny. It is not the first time opposition councillors have been shut down in this Committee.
This pattern is part of a broader problem. Just two weeks ago, fellow GOOD Councillor Jonathan Cupido exposed how the DA manipulated Council processes to shield the Speaker from accountability after a collapsed virtual sitting where over 50 votes were lost without explanation.
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a strategy to avoid physical debate, centralise control, and erase dissent. If your issue is inconvenient, the DA will ignore it. If you speak up, you’ll be silenced.
Council does not belong to the DA. It belongs to the people. And every Capetonian, especially the most vulnerable, deserves to be heard.
GOOD Crisis Response: The party advocates for effective responses to national crises, such as pandemics.
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