Day: October 16, 2025

The rapidly growing population of the Western Cape requires a stronger economy with significantly more job opportunities, says Western Cape Premier Alan Winde.

The Premier recently held an engagement with business owners and law enforcement officials in Cape Town. On Monday, Winde visited several thriving enterprises that are playing a key role in job creation and community development. 

Durbanville Tool Hire owner, Allistair Fisher, told the Premier of his plans to expand operations and increase his workforce to 30 employees.

“When businesses grow, so does our economy. The last time I interacted with Mr Fisher was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he and his co-workers were facing challenges. 

“To see how this business has turned around since then, going from strength to strength, is a testament to the resilience of the Western Cape’s private sector,” Winde said.

In Stikland, Winde visited Kevin’s Coachworks, a long-standing panel beating business that has grown from three to 16 employees since opening its doors in 1991. 

The Premier’s next stop was an affordable housing project in Mitchells Plain, where Cape Town-based company, New Age Properties, is adding 50 new units to its 201-unit Watergate Village complex. 

The fully solar-powered development showcases the future-fit, mixed-use, affordable housing model the Western Cape Government has long championed. 

On a tour of the site, company owner Anver Essop shared plans to install more than 1 000 new solar panels in due course. 

“With more people moving to our province, we must accelerate infrastructure development that brings residents closer to opportunities. Projects like this show what is possible when government and business work together,” Winde said. 

The Premier noted that Mitchells Plain is developing rapidly, despite safety and crime challenges. 

“From affordable housing to upgrading transport and sanitation infrastructure, the City of Cape Town and private sector leaders are collaborating to drive investment and economic growth,” he added.

The Premier also toured a new retail development in Lentegeur. Once complete, the centre will employ up to 300 people. This is over and above the hundreds of jobs that were created during the construction phase. 

“Growth and job creation cannot thrive in communities that live in fear,” said Winde. 

He also met with management at the Mitchells Plain Police Station to discuss ongoing issues such as crime, gang violence, substance abuse, drunk driving, resource shortages, and the urgent need for collaboration among all stakeholders.

The Premier was accompanied by Western Cape MEC of Mobility Isaac Sileku, City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith, and officials from the provincial Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety. 

Together, they conducted a community walkabout with members of the Beacon Valley Neighbourhood Watch, South African Police Service (SAPS), and officers from the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP).

“It breaks my heart that so many people live in fear of criminals and gangsters,” said the Premier. 
Winde said the recent murder of Yonke Pakade, an off-duty LEAP officer in Philippi, is a stark reminder that law enforcement officers are also vulnerable. 

On Tuesday, SAnews reported that Pakade, 26, and his 30-year-old female colleague were allegedly hijacked in Browns Farm on Saturday evening. 

The female officer managed to escape and alerted authorities. However, the body of her colleague was later found with stab wounds to the chest in the early hours of Sunday, 12 October 2025. 

The discovery was made at the Marikana informal settlement in Philippi East.

A team made up of the City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Systems Management Unit, the SAPS organised crime unit, LEAP, and the Khayelitsha Tactical Response Team has successfully arrested four suspects connected to the incident.

“My thoughts are with Mr Pakade’s family and the ‘community in blue’, and the colleague who was with him during the attack. We owe it to them and our residents to keep fighting for better police resourcing.

Safety and jobs go hand in hand – both are essential for a thriving Western Cape,” said Winde.