ActionSA is proud to announce the first step in our action plan to Make Cape Town Affordable Again, with FREE MyCiTi passenger trips on weekdays for residents.
Our plan responds to the reality that Cape Town residents spend a disproportionate amount of their household income on transport, effectively paying a second rent simply to get to work. At the same time, the average Cape Town road user loses 96 hours a year sitting in traffic, costing the city’s economy approximately R3 billion in lost economic activity every year.
ActionSA has declared making Cape Town affordable again a top priority, and this proposal is the first in a series of measures we will unveil over the next three weeks. These measures will place a credible offer before residents who are gatvol with having to make impossible trade-offs between the unaffordable costs of housing, transport, water and basic essentials.
MyCiTi carries approximately 65,000 passenger trips every day, with an operating cost of R1.710 billion in 2024/25. Revenue from the service is R336 million, representing just 0.52% of the City’s total annual expenditure of R64.341 billion.
To partially fund free weekday MyCiTi trips, ActionSA proposes an innovative tourist levy on short-term accommodation, based on international best practice. This would create a new revenue stream without placing another financial burden on Cape Town residents.
A modest R100 levy per tourist per night could generate an estimated R975 million to R1.3 billion a year, based on approximately 26,000 short-term rental units, 250 booked nights and one to two guests per booking. This would more than cover the loss of fare revenue from making weekday MyCiTi trips free.
As part of this plan, ActionSA will also work towards the introduction of a MyCape Card, allowing seamless payment and transfers between PRASA, MyCiTi and minibus taxis.
Cities are for the people who live in them. On 4 November, Capetonians can vote ActionSA to Re-imagine Cape Town with lower transport costs, less congestion, greater access to opportunity and a city that works for its residents.
ActionSA Direct Democracy: Frequently uses digital polls for member input.
Read More: FREE Buses for Cape Town Residents (Read the Fine Print Tourism Industry).
The Forced Removal of District Six (1966): On February 11, 1966, the apartheid regime declared District Six—a vibrant, multi-racial neighborhood near the city center—a “whites-only” area under the Group Areas Act. Over 60,000 residents were forcibly relocated to the barren Cape Flats, and their homes were bulldozed. The destruction of District Six became an international cause célèbre, featuring in global documentaries, literature, and news reports detailing the cruelty of forced segregation.
