PA Unveils Cheslyn Steenberg As Cape Town Mayoral Candidate Ahead Of Local Elections

The Patriotic Alliance (PA) has officially introduced Cheslyn Steenberg as its mayoral candidate for Cape Town in the upcoming local government elections.

Steenberg announced that his campaign would prioritise rent regulation, fair access to housing and improved land distribution across the city.

Speaking during the launch of his 22-member mayoral campaign committee, the Cape Town councillor confirmed that the PA intends to contest all 118 wards in the City of Cape Town.

PA Targets All 118 Wards In Cape Town Elections

“It’s not the first time. It is, however, a very good time because the name of the PA now rests in a lot of homes, hearts and in a lot of mouths. So, now, we have a chance of winning the seat.

“If not, then we can easily become the opposition in the City of Cape Town. We will focus on rent regulation; we will focus on affordable housing and will introduce a policy within the City of Cape Town that deals with that head-on.

“The other thing that we are going to focus on is to ensure that land is accessible to the people and not to a select group of people and we have seen it in the most recent auction where land was sold to the highest bidder – not under the Patriotic Alliance.”

Youth Alliance Highlights Inequality In Cape Town

PA Youth Alliance President Liam Jacobs supported Steenberg’s position, pointing to stark inequalities within the city.

“In this city, it is a deeply unequal city. In the same city where you can find Germans and Americans – I love them all as well, and they are there having the best time of their lives – and you walk around, left and right and they don’t have to worry about looking over their backs.

“In the same city, we went to Khayelitsha this time last year December, and we went to look at peoples’ houses under the R144,000 – R176,000 to complete and then we stumbled upon an oupa. This oupa was in his 70s and lives in a house that did not have electricity and water and he did not have a toilet.

“If the neighbours around him were not willing to open their doors, this man had to walk, rain or shine, to a spot that is hundreds of metres away. Imagine your grandfather, your grandmother, having to walk hundreds of metres rain or shine, in the middle of the night, just to use the toilet.

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“These two realities live in the same city. But, I want to show you ‘the PA difference’. I want to applaud what Councillor Kayi has done. That man now has a toilet.”

Steenberg said his 22-member campaign team reflects a mix of gender, race and religious backgrounds, which he believes will support the rollout of his mayoral manifesto ahead of the elections.