The Western Cape will need a new city the size of Bloemfontein, within the next eight years, if Cape Town’s population continues to grow at its current rate.
This was the warning from Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC, Anton Bredell, in his address to the provincial Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
During deliberations on the annual reports of the department for the 2021/22 financial year, Bredell told the committee that the Western Cape would need to accommodate an additional 900 000 people, roughly the population of the Free State capital.
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“I don’t think we talk enough about the topic,” he said in response to a question, on how the department would mitigate population growth and the demands for resources across the province, from committee member, Nomi Nkondlo (ANC).
About 108 000 people moved to the Western Cape in the 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.”
The MEC emphasised the need to protect both the quantity and quality of resources in the province, adding that this was a matter close to his heart.
“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.”
The Western Cape is the third most populated province, accounting for 11.9% of the national population, according to Statistics South Africa’s Mid-Year Population Estimates
With a population of some 4.7 million people or 65.8% of the total population, Cape Town accommodates nearly two thirds of all people in the province.
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Photo: Cape{town}Etc Library