Wednesday, 7 October 2026

GBV experts called for year-round political commitment, better coordination between SAPS and social services, specialised survivor-friendly facilities, and individual responsibility to challenge violence and hold the state accountable.

A survivor criticised Mitchells Plain police facilities and frontline responses as traumatising, while an academic urged sustained GBV training, social-context education and specialised services across the criminal justice system.

Mayoral candidates challenged Cape Town’s best-run-city reputation, pointing to unequal service delivery, housing failures and a regression from its clean-audit streak to unqualified with findings.

The candidates said any new administration should prioritise social investment, support community organisations, improve public participation and audit the city’s finances, housing delivery and infrastructure within its first 99 days.