DA touts Cape Town housing progress amid EFF criticism

Eddie Andrews, Cape Town’s deputy mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, defended the DA’s affordable-housing record during an IOL debate with representatives of seven other parties. He said the national human settlements minister had confirmed that Cape Town had created more affordable-housing opportunities than any other city, and that the city had appointed five officers in every ward. Andrews also said the city aims to cut residents’ electricity costs by about 20%. EFF mayoral candidate Virgill Gericke accused the DA of neglecting poor residents and called for more equal access to housing, pointing to cramped living conditions in Philippi, Manenberg and Khayelitsha.