The Western Cape Cabinet met today and deliberated on many issues, some of them matters of great distress to the Province and others speaking of our resolve to pursue and achieve our stated goal of shared economic growth in the Province.

Cabinet had invited the CEO of the Waterfront, Mr Derrick van der Merwe, to do a presentation on the development plans of the Waterfront. This facility is critical to our tourism and investment in the Western Cape so we should be interested in its plans.

Cabinet is excited that in this financial year alone, the Waterfront is seeing development to the value of at least R1,5 billion. We are also pleased that at least 4 new hotels are being planned in response to our growth in tourism and in anticipation of World Cup 2010, two of which will be more affordable hotels for domestic tourisms. We resolved to work together much more closely with the Waterfront Management to ensure synergy in our shared goals so that the implementation of ASGISA supports, and benefits from, the developments at the Waterfront.

Following the meeting (30 March 2006) between the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Government, the National Government and the L.O.C., where a broad recommendation was made for a Special Purpose Vehicle to drive the building of the Green Point World Cup Stadium, Cabinet today considered this proposal.

Cabinet has agreed that such SPV should be established, based on the PFMA, where all 3 spheres of government and representatives from the Private Sector could be represented, and from which the implementation of the decision to build the 70 000 seater stadium could take place.

Such an SPV would share both the responsibilities and the risks of this project and could be underpinned by the necessary technical teams who would drive the project.

Cabinet agreed that the exact modeling would be discussed with the national and the City Governments. We will soon convene a Municipal Intergovernmental Forum between Cabinet and Mayco to discuss this and other matters.

Meanwhile, Minister Brown (Finance) would prepare the draft legislation that would bring such a vehicle into existence, and we would request the City to enter into a M.O.U with us to ensure that nothing delays the progress of our World Cup 2010 plans.

Cabinet had protracted discussions on these matters. This follows the meeting last Thursday (06.04.06) between the Premier and Ministers Ramatlakane and Fransman. Following the report by the Ministers, the Police Commissioner Petros and the Transport Department, Cabinet felt satisfied that sterling work had been done in an attempt to stabilize the situation.

Between the meeting last week and today, police had been deployed to the flashpoints in the taxi industry and had conducted roadblocks and searches and had in fact impounded 75 vehicles, arrested 52 people and confiscated many weapons. We are mindful that this morning has seen yet another incident of violence, and we will maintain full vigilance, but we are convinced that we are stabilizing the situation and we have prevented a full scale taxi war in the Cape.

We are also confident that we are systematically implementing the recommendations of the Ntsebeza Report. The result is that year on year there has been a dramatic decline of violence in the taxi industry in the Cape.

We are also paying careful attention to the systemic reforms identified in the Ntsebeza Report.

Cabinet is concerned that since the 6th April 2006, 6 lives have been lost in incidences of ongoing violence, particularly in Hanover Park. Those dead include some allegedly notorious figures in the gangs of the Western Cape.

We are happy to report that in 5 of the murders, arrests have been made, and an arrest is imminent in the case of the 6th murder. We hope the people of Hanover Park and the Cape Flats take comfort from this swift police work and from the fact that the police and Bambanani have been there in force to ensure stability and peace.

Again police action in Hanover Park has led to other arrests and the confiscation of both guns and drugs in the area.

We want to thank profusely the police for their work and dedication and hope that the community can also begin to appreciate their work.

Cabinet has asked for an urgent meeting with the Minister of Justice in order for us to understand the logic of judicial decisions relating to, for example, the release of Mujahid Daniels and the release on bail of Gavin Atkins, an alleged gang leader killed in Hanover Park.

Until we can understand such logic, the police will feel somewhat undermined in their hard work to apprehend suspects.

However, we remain confident that slowly but surely, there is the possibility of greater stability on the Cape Flats. We will not allow the gangs or taxi warlords to do to our communities what they like. We are the government, and we will use the full might of the law, as we have done this past week to deal with those who disturb our safety.