Cape Town - Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell has warned that if the population of Cape Town continues growing at the current rate, the province will have to build a new city the size of Bloemfontein to accommodate 900 000 extra people in the next eight years.
Bredell was addressing the provincial Standing Committee on Public Accounts during its deliberations on the annual reports of the department for the 2021/22 financial year.
In answer to a question from committee member Nomi Nkondlo (ANC) on how the department would mitigate population growth and the demands for resources across the province, Bredell said the topic was one dear to him.
“I think that we don’t talk enough about the topic. Some 108 000 people moved to the Western Cape last year.
“On resources alone, we need 21.7 million litres of extra water a day. Now if you start to add up and you work towards 2030, if this curve continues, we will need to build a Bloemfontein for the City of Cape Town.”
He said what was needed was a plan that looked to protect the quality of the Western Cape’s resources as well as the quantity of those resources.
“Because if you think Bloemfontein, think 54 high schools, 60 primary schools, 220 ECDs, hospitals etc. That’s the whole package to accommodate 900 000 people.
“That’s what we need to build in eight years’ time and that’s only for Cape Town, never mind the other areas.”
Statistics South Africa’s Mid-Year Population Estimates data showed the Western Cape was the third most populated province, accounting for 11.9% of the national population.
Cape Town has the largest share of the provincial population, with about 4.7 million people or 65.8% living in the metro.
Stats SA estimated for the period 2021–2026, the Western Cape would experience one of the largest inflows of migrants, standing at about 460 489.
mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za