For years, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has marketed the Western Cape as the “model province” — a showcase of efficient governance and clean administration. But recent allegations against Premier Alan Winde have cast a shadow over that image, sparking debate about whether the DA’s much-touted success is built on a fragile foundation.
Reports that Winde may have accepted illicit payments from contractors linked to provincial tenders — claims he denies — have triggered public outrage and raised questions about the DA’s moral high ground. For a party that has built its reputation on “clean governance,” the allegations cut deep, suggesting cracks in the image of a province long held up as proof of DA superiority.
Behind the Image of Efficiency
The Western Cape has long been praised for its clean streets, shorter power cuts, and bureaucratic efficiency. Yet beyond the postcard views of Sea Point and Constantia lies a different Cape Town — one defined by inequality, neglect, and frustration.
In townships like Delft, Wallacedene, and Khayelitsha, residents complain of high utility bills, unreliable services, and unexplained debt. Sewage leaks often go unrepaired, and eviction notices are common in low-income housing developments. Critics argue this is not mere mismanagement, but the result of a governance model that prioritises fiscal discipline and investor confidence over social justice.
“The poor pay more for less, while the wealthy are insulated from the daily collapse of the state elsewhere,” one civic activist told The Mail & Guardian.
A City Still Divided
Nearly three decades after apartheid, Cape Town remains one of the most segregated cities in the world. Informal settlements like Blikkiesdorp and Marikana, once meant to be temporary, have become permanent “zones of abandonment,” with residents living amid raw sewage, unreliable electricity, and overflowing refuse.
While the DA argues it inherited apartheid’s spatial injustices, critics say that after almost two decades in power, the party can no longer deflect responsibility. Land in the city’s core continues to be sold to private developers, while thousands remain on housing waiting lists.
Infrastructure and Safety in Decline
Even in affluent suburbs, cracks are showing. Sewage spills have forced beach closures along False Bay, water leaks waste thousands of litres daily, and stormwater drains overflow with each heavy rain.
Cape Town’s violent underworld also looms large. Gangs control large parts of the Cape Flats, where murder rates exceed those of many conflict zones. Residents describe a dual city: one where law and order protects the rich, and another where fear and extortion rule.
Governance Under Scrutiny
The Winde scandal is only the latest in a series of controversies that suggest the Western Cape’s administration is less transparent than it appears. Reports of tender manipulation, preferential treatment of developers, and internal patronage networks have become too frequent to ignore.
Opposition leader in the provincial legislature, Khalid Sayed, said the DA’s “model of governance” has failed the province’s most vulnerable.
“Housing remains one of the Western Cape’s greatest crises,” he said. “Despite investigations into Communicare’s property dealings, evictions of pensioners have continued. This shows the province’s disregard for its poorest citizens.”
He pointed to governance failures in Swellendam, Saldanha Bay, Matzikama, and Garden Route, where mismanagement and corruption allegations have mounted. “These examples expose the DA’s failing model — one that claims efficiency but delivers scandal after scandal,” Sayed said.
A Party Losing Its Shine
Political analyst Azania Matiwane argues that the DA’s governance record is overstated.
“There’s a common misconception that the DA delivers only to affluent areas and neglects the poor,” she said. “The truth is, the DA has failed to deliver adequately in both.”
As the DA faces growing scrutiny, the Western Cape’s story is becoming harder to contain. The province that once stood as the party’s greatest triumph may now be its most damaging test — a mirror reflecting the limits of its promise of “clean, efficient governance.”