Grant Pascoe
“A city for all of us.” That is the promise of Liam Jacobs, the 24-year-old Patriotic Alliance mayoral candidate for Cape Town. He says bus fares will be cut to R12, household bills will be capped, runaway rents will be frozen, and vacant luxury properties will be taxed. He promises safer streets, restored theatres and sports fields, and more chances for young people to avoid gangsterism.
It is an attractive vision. Jacobs speaks to frustrations that many Capetonians know well. For years people have felt there are two Cape Towns. One shines for the wealthy, while the other leaves families battling with rent, crime and expensive commuting. His words of fairness and affordability connect with people who feel left out.
Vision Meets City Limits
The question is whether he can deliver. Some promises are within the City’s control. The City can set MyCiTi fares, though a R12 flat fare would need big subsidies. It can raise property rates on vacant and luxury homes. It can release land for housing, upgrade informal settlements, restore sports fields and expand youth programmes. It can also make tenders more transparent.
Other promises are beyond the City’s power. It cannot cap bills as a percentage of income. It can only offer rebates to poor families. It cannot freeze rents because rent control is national. It cannot create a mortgage guarantee fund without Treasury approval.
Some powers are shared. The City can deploy Law Enforcement but only SAPS can fight gangs and organised crime.
It can issue bonds but only under Treasury rules.
Big Promises, Bigger Responsibilities
Liam Jacobs says new taxes and financial tools will pay for his ideas. But these have never been tested at the scale of Cape Town. The City’s budget for 2025/26 is R84.1 billion. Managing that kind of money is not about catchy promises. It is about detail, discipline and daily delivery.
So the real question is this. Can I trust a young man, only four years older than my youngest child, with R84.1 billion and the future of Africa’s second largest city? Age is not the only concern. Experience is. Jacobs has been an MP and a social media voice, but running Cape Town is a far tougher job.
The choice is simple but serious. Cape Town cannot afford promises that sound good yet fail the test of reality.
