Western Cape Premier Alan Winde will on February 26 officially open the 2nd session of the seventh Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP), where he will deliver his 2025 State of the Province Address (SoPA) in the central Karoo, in Beaufort West.

Winde will use the SoPA to report to residents the provincial government’s progress in implementing its priorities over the past year and to further outline the priorities of the Western Cape Government (WCG) for 2025.

He said the province is still facing many of the same challenges of the past year.

“…job creation, safety, energy, and water resilience, as well as mitigating climate change remain among our most critical focus areas, which we are committed to addressing with urgency and determination,” he explained.

However, he highlighted that the province capped off 2024 on an encouraging note with the unemployment rate dropping to below 20% for the first time in a decade.

“Along with many of our municipalities, we are also making steady progress in shoring up our energy security. Our crime-fighting efforts are also paying off, which were reflected in the last set of crime statistics revealing an 8.7% decrease in murder. But, at the same time, we acknowledge, that we have a long road ahead of us still in tackling these pressing issues,” he said.