Geordin Hill-Lewis on fulfilling Cape Town’s potential

In this episode of Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak with Geordin Hill-Lewis, the Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate for the City of Cape Town, about his plans for fulfilling Cape Town's significant potential.  
Geordin became a Member of Parliament in 2011 and has served in various portfolio committees, including Trade and Industry, and Finance. He is "singularly obsessed with economic growth", and unlocking economic opportunities for all Capetonians is a key part of his campaign.   
As Geordin explains, runaway government spending at the national level is having a damaging impact on local service delivery. As the fiscal deficit widens and debt soars, budgets for housing, policing and transport have all been slashed. The question Geordin poses is this: "How do you insulate well-run parts of the country from this slow-bleed devastation?"  
One area where the City can distinguish itself is energy security, especially given the perennial problem of loadshedding, which we yet again experienced throughout the country this week. 
Should the DA win the election on 1 November, Geordin is aiming to assert the interests of the City by crowding-in independent power producers (IPPs) and not waiting for "clarity or permission" from the National Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. A small gap has been created by the lifting of the cap on private energy generation to 100MW, and Geordin wants to "kick the door open".  
We also discuss how Capetonians can work together to improve safety and security in their neighbourhoods, especially given the rapidly declining capacity of the SA Police Service (SAPS) in the Western Cape to maintain law and order. We reflect on what the July riots reveal about the state of policing in South Africa, and Geordin's plans to devolve policing down to the provincial and local level. I also ask him about the controversial posters that were recently erected by his party colleagues in KwaZulu-Natal.  
I also ask Geordin about his views on the Cape Independence movement. Geordin is sympathetic with the "emotional impetus" for why people support secession, which he says is a "massive compliment" of the DA's model of government in the Western Cape. However, he doesn't support the call for independence, preferring a federal system based on devolution to the local level, a model which he believes would benefit the whole of South Africa.   
TIMESTAMPS  
(00:00) Intro
(00:22) Geordin Hill-Lewis on accelerating Cape Town's economic growth
(02:38) Geordin Hill-Lewis on South Africa's current economic problems
(06:00) Geordin Hill-Lewis on how to end loadshedding in Cape Town
(08:28) Geordin Hill-Lewis on crowding-in independent power producers
(10:11) Geordin Hill-Lewis on how to push back against harmful national policies
(14:01) Geordin Hill-Lewis on conflicting powers between different spheres of government
(16:45) Geordin Hill-Lewis on safety and security in Cape Town
(23:30) Geordin Hill-Lewis on protecting Cape Town's infrastructure
(23:39) Geordin Hill-Lewis on community safety initiatives
(28:28) Geordin Hill-Lewis on the DA's poster campaign in KwaZulu-Natal
(30:05) Geordin Hill-Lewis on solving Cape Town's housing back-log  
(36:40) Geordin Hill-Lewis on easing the tax burden on ratepayers
(40:02) Geordin Hill-Lewis on making Cape Town an attractive destination for business
(44:52) Geordin Hill-Lewis on Cape Independence
(50:16) Geordin Hill-Lewis on why he got involved in politics
(53:48) Geordin Hill-Lewis on liberal democracy in South Africa
(56:13) Geordin Hill-Lewis on coalition politics
(57:38) Conclusion

WATCH this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z0Qvc_-FQeM