CAPE TOWN — The GOOD Party, in collaboration with RISE Mzansi, has officially announced Brett Herron as its mayoral candidate for the City of Cape Town ahead of the upcoming local government elections. The announcement was made at a media briefing addressed by GOOD leader Patricia de Lille and RISE Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi.
In her address, Patricia de Lille outlined a vision centered on urban integration, affordable housing, and redressing historical spatial inequalities. “We need to bring people closer to work opportunities. We need to integrate the city,” de Lille stated, emphasizing the need to bridge socioeconomic divides that separate communities from jobs, education, and opportunity.
De Lille highlighted a land audit initiated during her tenure which revealed approximately 3,000 well-located pieces of city land not recorded on the official asset register. “There’s no excuse for not bringing people closer,” she said, arguing that these parcels could be leveraged for inclusive development.
Addressing the city’s housing crisis, de Lille noted that roughly 30,000 units in new Cape Town developments are controlled by a small number of market players, driving up prices. She pointed to efforts under Herron’s previous involvement, when over 26 well-located land parcels within 5 kilometers of the city center were released to promote accessibility. De Lille acknowledged political resistance to these efforts, stating that funders of the Democratic Alliance had questioned initiatives aimed at bringing lower-income residents into the city center. “It is about redressing the imbalances of the past,” she affirmed.
A flagship proposal presented at the briefing involves repurposing city-owned land beneath Cape Town’s long-unfinished bridges—some standing incomplete for over 70 years—for affordable housing. De Lille described a multi-year initiative launched in collaboration with the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of the Built Environment and Planning, led by Professor Francis Peterson. Students were tasked with designing solutions to complete the bridges and utilize the underlying land to ease congestion and provide housing. An exhibition of these concepts was held in 2014, garnering public support.
Following the exhibition, de Lille said the city allocated 750 million rand over five years to address congestion and invited developers, banks, and consortiums to submit tenders for the area’s development by 2016. However, she noted the initiative faced opposition. “We were stopped by people who don’t want to see an integrated city of Cape Town,” de Lille said.
Looking ahead, de Lille charged Herron with advancing these priorities if elected. “I can’t see anybody more suitable to help us look beyond the exceptional beauty of Cape Town and make sure that everybody in this city does benefit,” she said, framing the election as a choice about inclusive growth and dignity for all residents.
Songezo Zibi, leader of RISE Mzansi, joined de Lille at the briefing, signaling a collaborative approach between the two parties in the upcoming local elections. The announcement positions Herron, a former city official with experience in transport and urban development, as the standard-bearer for a platform focused on spatial justice, affordable housing, and economic integration in Cape Town.
