Ward 71 stretches from Tokai and Kirstenhof to Westlake and Steenberg. However, these communities face markedly different socio-economic conditions.

In the 2021 local government elections, the DA won the ward with 85% of the vote. Nevertheless, the Westlake voting district told a different story. The DA received 42,7%, the ANC 35,5% and the EFF 10,3%.

Furthermore, turnout fell sharply. It dropped from 71% in 2016 to 55% in 2021, according to IEC data.

The ward will have a new DA candidate after incumbent Carolynne Franklin decided not to contest again. Instead, the party placed her on its proportional representation list.

Franklin said the ward’s diversity defined her time in office.

“It’s been an interesting learning curve,” she said. “I have definitely represented those who pay rates, those who don’t pay rates, those who live at the very top end of the salary scale and those who are indigent, and have tried to bring City services closer to all of them.”

Franklin said she had completed her three legacy projects and raised the ward’s profile through partnerships. Moreover, she pointed to a Facebook page receiving close to 300 000 views a month. Also, WhatsApp groups have more than 1 000 members each.

Mymoena Scholtz, social activist and founder of Where Rainbows Meet in Vrygrond, said residents faced serious problems with crime, infrastructure and services. Vrygrond borders Westlake.

“Crime is out of control and nothing big has been done in order to bring changes to these areas,” she said. “Councillors are selective who they want to support and who they don’t want to support.”

Scholtz said Vrygrond and surrounding informal settlements needed greater attention to infrastructure, policing and law enforcement.

“More visibility of law enforcement and policing, and action,” she said. “Police vans standing the entire day at shebeens does not serve us but the drug lords.”

She intended to vote in the election. However, her confidence in political leadership had diminished.

“Political leaders have the power to do this, and it is time they stop making empty promises and start delivering on their promises as this has been going on for over 30 years,” she said.

Her criticism raises a broader question. After all, do residents experience the same local government system in the same way, given the ward’s contrasts?

Governance and service delivery

The Auditor-General of South Africa’s 2024-25 audit report found that Cape Town received an unqualified audit opinion. Furthermore, the City had good financial health indicators. However, the City also received findings on material non-compliance with legislation, including procurement and contract management.

Consequently, AGSA said the weaknesses created an environment susceptible to fraud. In addition, Cape Town featured among four metros cited over supplier awards. Close family members of employees had interests in these awards. Across the four metros, the awards totalled R401,77 million.

No metro achieved a clean audit. Furthermore, the City disputed the findings, delaying finalisation.

City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo described the finding as “technical, not financial” and “without merit.” Moreover, he said the dispute concerned Bid Evaluation Committee processes and the City was “fully compliant” with supply chain regulations. However, the City did not address the conflict-of-interest finding.

Tyhalibongo said Cape Town had received its 20th consecutive unqualified audit opinion since 2006, according to the City’s statement. However, an unqualified opinion relates only to fair presentation of financial statements. Therefore, it does not mean full compliance with every law.

People’s Post asked Tyhalibongo whether residents in different parts of the ward receive equal services. He said: “The City cannot comment on voter preferences for political parties.” However, the question concerned the contrasting profiles of Tokai and Westlake.

Meanwhile, the City’s ward allocation records show where money has gone. In the 2024-25 budget, the City allocated R30 000 for the Westlake Neighbourhood Watch. Subsequently, the City cancelled the project after the watch lost its accreditation and redirected the funds to traffic services overtime.

The City had not responded by the time of printing.

Other spending reached Westlake. For instance, the City fenced the Westlake Nature Reserve for R2,7 million in 2023-24. Furthermore, the City earmarked R7,1 million for the Westlake Conservation Centre over 2025-26 and 2026-27. In addition, R1,2 million went to the Westlake Public Transport Interchange in 2024-25.

However, these figures do not answer whether residents consider the investment adequate.

With Franklin on the proportional representation list, Ward 71 faces another test. Specifically, whether the party’s dominance holds across all parts of the ward.

For residents, however, the election is less about the ward-wide result. Instead, it is about whether the next councillor can represent communities with very different priorities. Ultimately, the test is whether crime, infrastructure and basic services receive attention across the ward.

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