ANC exposes DA’s shielding of Winde as safety crisis deepens in Western Cape

The ANC has accused the Democratic Alliance of placing political loyalty above the safety of Western Cape residents after the DA used its majority in the Legislature to block a no-confidence motion against Premier Alan Winde. The motion, which the ANC says was based on hard evidence and legitimate concerns about public safety, was dismissed before it could even be fully debated.

The ANC’s Khalid Sayed said the DA’s decision confirmed what communities have long experienced on the ground. He said the Premier has failed to respond to rising murders, gang activity and extortion networks that continue to terrorise neighbourhoods across the Cape. Sayed argued that the DA’s refusal to allow the motion to proceed shows that the party is more committed to shielding Winde than confronting a deepening crisis.

The ANC maintains that Winde misled the public through sensational statements about the Western Cape being the so-called murder capital. According to the party, this narrative was used to mask the DA’s inability to reduce violent crime or manage long-standing issues within policing structures. The ANC criticised Winde’s Safety Plan as an expensive public relations exercise that has delivered no measurable improvement for residents in townships and informal settlements.

In its defence, the Premier’s office attempted to justify Winde’s remarks by highlighting historic crime statistics. The ANC rejected this as deflection and said the DA has consistently failed to build working relationships with national policing structures and has instead turned public safety into a political battlefield.

Civil society groups and community activists have echoed many of the ANC’s concerns. They say residents are living under the constant threat of gangsters and extortion syndicates while the provincial government remains reactive and disorganised. Calls for emergency interventions, targeted policing and community-centred safety programmes have grown louder, yet the ANC argues that the DA has refused to embrace these measures because it would require collaboration beyond its political comfort zone.

The ANC also dismissed recent announcements by Winde on new intelligence operations and lifestyle audits within SAPS. The party says these promises mirror old commitments that were never fully implemented and do little to address the structural issues facing the province.

Despite the DA blocking the motion, ANC leaders say their push for accountability is far from over. They argue that the people of the Western Cape deserve a Premier who takes full responsibility for safety failures and is willing to work with all spheres of government rather than pick political fights.