Stellies, it's your turn!🤩 Next Thursday, 1 October, Open Government First Thursday is coming to you. Bring your idea, issue or concern for a 5-minute, one-on-one session with the myself, the Mayor, Western Cape Cabinet Ministers or the Stellenbosch MAYCO team. Help will also be available on the day at our: ✅ WCED school admissions desk ✅ WC Police Ombudsman desk (for concerns about SAPS) ✅ SASSA enquiries desk ✅ WCG Mobile eCentre (for CVs, internet access and job applications) 📍 Rietenbosch Primary, 90 Lang Road, Cloetesville 🕔 17:00 - 20:30 (registration opens at 16:00) Let me know in the comments if you'll be joining!👇 #GettingItDone #ForYou

The Western Cape Government has added more than 1,500 classrooms, including more than 20 new schools, to our provincial education system in the last four years. That is more than any other province, and is thanks to our pioneering Rapid School Build Programme. The R327.9 million Blueridge Campus is a shining example of what this programme has delivered. With both a primary and high school, sports halls and tech labs, this facility has created spaces for 2,360 learners. This story is told right across our province. We are investing in our young people to enable access to opportunities. Our growing province is at work. #GettingItDone #ForYou

📣📣📣We are the BEST again! 🇿🇦🇿🇦 WORLD Tug-of-War Championships 🇿🇦🇿🇦 🥇 Senior Men 600kg – World Champions 🥇 Junior Men 560kg – World Champions 🥇 Under 23 Mixed 560kg – World Champions 🥈 Junior Women 480kg – Silver 🥉 Senior Men 680kg – Bronze Proud of our Proteas! 🇿🇦

📍Breede River Bridge (TR30/2): Before & After When the Breede River Bridge was damaged by severe weather, our Department of Infrastructure got straight to work. The road was quickly reopened in a matter of weeks. Thanks to Provincial Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers and his incredible team of officials work for the people of the Western Cape. Bridge by bridge, pass by pass, we will rebuild. Check out our Roads4U App: westerncape.gov.za/infrastru… #GettingItDone #ForYou

If your business sells outside South Africa - or wants to - we have a programme for that, and APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN! 🌍 The Department of Economic Development and Tourism's Export Competitiveness Enhancement Programme (ECEP) offers financial assistance and support to help Western Cape exporters, aspiring exporters, and the organisations that support them get export-ready and compete internationally. Support includes: ✅ Product reformulation and refinement ✅ International packaging, labelling, and printing requirements ✅ International product testing ✅ International certification and standards for international market access (e.g. FSSC, ISO, Halal, Kosher, etc.) ✅ Product registration with relevant international bodies in export markets ✅ International nutritional analysis ✅ Special handling services and/or permits required to export products safely and efficiently ✅ E-commerce platform listing ✅ Equipment and machinery that supports the export process For more info, or to apply, visit: bit.ly/ECEP2025 Note: you must be Western Cape-based to apply, and the fund doesn't cover operational/working capital, stock purchases or infrastructure costs. Know a business that could use this? Tag them in the comments or send it their way. 📲 #GettingItDone #ForYou

🚨BREAKING NEWS: The Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of the Western Cape Government, declaring the Public Procurement Act, 2024 unconstitutional and invalid. The Court found that major changes were made to the law without proper public participation, and confirmed that provinces need the power to design procurement systems that work for our own communities - not one-size-fits-all rules set elsewhere. I welcome this ruling. Thank you to Western Cape Minister of Finance, @deidrebaartman , who led this legal challenge on behalf of the Western Cape. In the Western Cape, over 57% of our procurement spend goes to black-owned businesses, and 34% to women-owned companies. This progress is built through local decisions about local communities. We will always defend the people of the Western Cape against rigid, inappropriate national legislation. #GettingItDone #ForYou

Every woman in this country deserves to walk home, go for a run, or simply exist without fear for her life. The discovery of eight women's bodies in Ekurhuleni over the last two months has once again laid bare the tragedy of gender based violence in our country. My heart goes out to mourning friends and families.🤍 If you or someone you know needs help, don’t hesitate, reach out to the National GBV Helpline: 0800 150 150

Great to see @geordinhl presenting facts about how proper governance leads to growth and jobs. 90% of all net jobs created in South Africa are from the Western Cape and Cape Town. @SABCNews #FullView

Dit was lekker by NAMPO Kaap! Agriculture is central to our province's economy, and events like bring us all together to keep growing this vital sector. While I was there, I had the chance to meet Selton Johnson and Lugelo Ntamane, two of our province's top agri workers, who shared a bit of their journey and what it took to get there. At our Western Cape Agriculture stand, I saw CapeFarmMapper in action, a free tool that brings more innovation and technology into the agricultural economy. I also watched young people like Ash-Lynn Speelman exploring real career paths in agriculture through programmes offered at the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute. It was also great to have National Minister of Agriculture Willie Aucamp and Dr Mogale Sebopetsa, Head of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, there too, alongside farmers, exhibitors and stakeholders from across the sector. Thank you to everyone who came over to say hello! #ForYou

This summer is shaping up hotter and drier than usual - and that means real fire risk for the Western Cape. I raised it directly with our farmers at NAMPO Cape in Bredasdorp. This is driven by El Niño, a global weather pattern. We're not the hardest-hit region, but we still feel it - higher temperatures, pressure on our water resources, and increased fire risk. We lost over 200 000 hectares to fires last season. If you live near vegetation or bush, here's what you can do now to prepare: 🌿 Clear vegetation around your home 🔥 Maintain firebreaks 🚫 Remove invasive alien plants The Western Cape Department of Agriculture under Minister Ivan Meyer is already strengthening risk management and preparedness systems, improving water-use efficiency, and putting direct support behind agri-workers. 🎥 We cover this in more detail in our recent Digicon briefing: piped.video/live/5XgxFsLD8t8… If we all do our part now, we may go into this summer in a far stronger position. #ForYou

⚠️ Weather alert: severe thunderstorms and heavy rain expected across the Western Cape from today into tomorrow. Level 2 - severe thunderstorms with excessive lightning are expected across the West Coast, Cape Winelands, City of Cape Town and Overberg from this afternoon. Level 4 - heavier rain is expected further inland over the Central Karoo and eastern Namaqua, with some areas expecting 60-80mm by Monday night. If you're travelling, watch out for low-lying roads and mountain passes like Meiringspoort, which could flood or close. Stay safe and keep an eye on official weather updates. #ForYou

AMABOKOBOKO!🇿🇦🔥🏆 Champions of #TheGreatestRivalry! And a special milestone for Coach Rassie Erasmus - his 100th Test in with the @Springboks . A remarkable achievement. Well done, boys! 🇿🇦 #TheGreatestRivalry

13 more vehicles to support fire and rescue services. Today we handed over 13 Western Cape Government vehicles to the Overberg District Municipality. These vehicles have been repurposed to support fire and rescue services, as the hot summer months approach. Ensuring our fire and rescue teams have what they need is one of the most effective ways we can look after the safety of our residents. Thank you to Mobility Minister @IsaacSileku and his team for getting this done. #ForYou

A global engineering company is investing more in Cape Town because of local talent.👏👏👏 I was recently at the opening of Kirby Group Engineering's new office in Bellville - their second base in the city in just three years. The company, which came here from Ireland, first tested the market with a small office. Now they're committing further: more than doubling their local workforce, with 50 new jobs in engineering. Kirby's first office here was a trial run. This one is a full commitment - built on the strength of the engineers they found in Cape Town. Congratulations to Jimmy Kirby and the whole Kirby Group Engineering team, and to every engineer whose work made this growth possible.