By Akani Nkuna
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba on Saturday unveiled Dereleen James as the party’s mayoral candidate for the City of Cape Town, with James vowing to tackle drug and substance abuse, crime and poor service delivery across the metro.
Addressing party members and supporters at Voorspoed Primary School in Hanover Park, James said many of Cape Town’s challenges, particularly on the Cape Flats, required decisive leadership and community mobilisation.
She said women had a critical role to play in confronting crime, gangsterism and substance abuse.
“I stand for the many mothers and families on the Cape Flats. This province has not accidentally become known as the Mother City. It is going to take women to take a stand against criminality,” she said.
“I need women to stand up and take their rightful place. We are going to take back these streets. For too long, people have been stripped of their power.”
James accused the Democratic Alliance-led provincial and city governments of neglecting coloured communities, arguing that many residents remained excluded from economic opportunities and quality service delivery while facing high levels of crime.
“You cannot even grow vegetables in your yard because you have been set up for failure, and it was intentional. Today they tell you that you cannot have a tuckshop because of by-laws,” she said.
She also challenged Cape Town’s reputation as a well-run city.
“Where is the well-run city? A well-run city for who and for what?” she asked.
James said safety would be the cornerstone of her campaign.
“When we have unsafe communities, we cannot have investment in our communities. We need to ensure our communities are safe. Safety is our number one priority,” she said.
She said ActionSA would also focus on making Cape Town more affordable and improving service delivery, particularly in communities affected by poor infrastructure, drug abuse and gangsterism.
“You shouldn’t have to choose between electricity and food. Drug addiction and gangsterism thrive in communities where there is poor service delivery and inadequate infrastructure,” she said.
While acknowledging the importance of clean audits, James said good governance should translate into tangible improvements in residents’ lives.
She pledged to expand access to education and improve public safety.
“Under ActionSA, we will ensure that every child on the Cape Flats has access to education. We will address the issue of an unaffordable city and prioritise safety,” she said.
Mashaba said James had demonstrated through her parliamentary work that she was capable of holding leaders accountable and advancing social justice.
“James will lead a fight against gangsterism and crime like you have never seen before. She will fight to make Cape Town affordable again and challenge the neglect experienced by many communities, but she will not do it alone. It will take all of us,” Mashaba said.
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