50 years later: Celebrating the story of Mitchells Plain and its future
24 April 2026
STATEMENT BY DEPUTY MAYOR EDDIE ANDREWS
The 50-year milestone matters. It is not only a commemoration for Mitchells Plain and the community of Mitchells Plain, but also offers an opportunity to tell the fuller story of Mitchells Plain – one that is not defined only by its challenges, but by its contributions, said Cape Town Deputy Mayor Alderman Eddie Andrews, yesterday 23 April 2026, at the launch of the 50-year anniversary of the establishment of Mitchells Plain. Read Alderman Andrews’s speech below:
There are places you pass through in life, and then there are places that pass through you. These shape how you see the world, how you understand struggle, and how you define possibility.
Mitchells Plain is one of those places.
And so today, I do not stand here simply as the Executive Deputy Mayor of Cape Town.
I stand here as someone who knows what it means to come from here: to carry its stories, its contradictions, and its quiet strength.
Because to speak honestly about Mitchells Plain at 50 years, we must begin with truth.
Mitchells Plain was not born out of organic growth. It was deliberately engineered through apartheid spatial planning.
Families were uprooted. Communities were fragmented. People were moved to the margins of a city that did not intend to include them. And yet, what is remarkable and deeply powerful is that out of that imposed beginning, something entirely unplanned emerged.
Not just a settlement.
But a society.
Over five decades, Mitchells Plain has done something extraordinary and you see that excellence in its people:
It has taken limitation and turned it into identity
It has taken distance and turned it into community
It has taken exclusion and produced excellence.
Earlier this afternoon, we were reminded of the voices and stories shared on this very programme, from residents who carry the lived history of Mitchells Plain in their own journeys, to performances that reflect the cultural heartbeat of this community.
We heard reflections from residents like Amiena Agherdien and Mr Abdullah that ground this moment not in theory, but in lived experience. And we witnessed it through the presence and journey of Emo Adams. Emo’s story is not just one of talent, it is one of consistency, discipline, and deep connection to community. He has not only entertained the country; he has carried the identity of Mitchells Plain onto national stages, reminding South Africa and beyond that this community produces excellence that cannot be ignored.
And he is not alone.
Mitchells Plain has long been a wellspring of artists, performers, and storytellers; individuals who have shaped the cultural fabric of Cape Town in profound ways. People who took the realities of this place and turned them into expression, into voice, into influence.
We see that same commitment in people like our brother Alistair Izobell whose work continues to create platforms for local talent, to invest in cultural spaces, and to ensure that the next generation of artists from Mitchells Plain are not only seen, but supported.
Because culture here has never been incidental, it has been survival, it has been resistance, and it has been pride.
And perhaps that is the first lesson of 50 years: That a place is never defined only by how it was built. It is defined by what its people build within it.
Now, as we reflect on where we come from, we must also be clear about where we are, because Mitchells Plain today is not frozen in its past. It is in motion.
There is a shift taking place, not always loud, not always visible at first glance, but real.
We are seeing renewed energy in local enterprise, we are seeing cultural expression finding new platforms, we are seeing communities organising, not just to respond to challenges, but to shape their own future, and importantly, we are seeing confidence return.
• The recent sale of the Watergate development, valued at approximately R500 million, is one example of this. But we must understand what that really represents. It is not simply a transaction.
It is a signal that Mitchells Plain is not only a place of history, but a place of opportunity.
That investors are beginning to recognise what residents have always known, that there is value here, there is potential here, and there is a future worth backing.
But as a City, we must be very careful about how we speak about progress. Because progress is not measured only in large investments, it is measured in the everyday experience of residents, in whether infrastructure works, public spaces are safe and whether opportunity is accessible.
Our work in Mitchells Plain cannot be reduced to a list of projects, it must be understood through what those projects make possible.
When we invest in housing developments in Mitchells Plain and Strandfontein, we are not simply building structures, we are expanding access to dignified living.
When we advance bulk sewer infrastructure like the Philippi Collector project, we are addressing long-standing system pressures that affect entire communities by improving sanitation, protecting health, and preparing for future growth.
When we upgrade roads from Spine Road to Weltevreden Parkway, from Highlands Drive to local neighbourhood streets we are improving mobility, safety, and economic access for residents who rely on these routes every day.
When we invest in safer public spaces, including the R9 million allocated for safe spaces in Mitchells Plain, we are making a statement about protecting communities and creating environments where young people can thrive.
When we support community-driven safety initiatives such as lane closures across areas like Rocklands, Westridge and Portlands, we are working with residents to reclaim space, to improve neighbourhood safety, and to strengthen local ownership over the environments in which people live.
And when we continue with stormwater, cleaning, and informal settlement infrastructure upgrades, we are doing the work that is often less visible, but absolutely essential to dignity and daily life.
At the same time, we must not romanticise the moment.
There are real challenges that persist: crime continues to affect too many households; unemployment continues to limit too many futures; and infrastructure pressures remain a daily reality in many parts of this community.
To speak about Mitchells Plain with honesty is to hold both realities at once: to recognise the progress, while not losing sight of the work still to be done.
And that brings us to why this 50-year milestone matters.
Because this is not just a commemoration.
It is an opportunity.
An opportunity to tell a fuller story of Mitchells Plain. One that is not defined only by its challenges, but by its contributions. Over the coming months, this will come to life in very tangible ways:
Through the People’s Festival led by Alistair Izobell - creating space for music, memory, and community to intersect.
Through the Mitchells Plain talent search competition, creating platforms for the next generation of voices.
Through major cultural moments like the annual KykNet Mitchells Plain Festival.
Through sporting tournaments from local football initiatives to youth competitions that bring communities together.
And through a series of community-driven events supported by the City, including dedicated funding towards the 50th anniversary celebrations.
This will be a year where Mitchells Plain is not only spoken about, but seen, heard, and celebrated.
I want to thank the Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, for recognising the importance of this milestone, and for ensuring that this 50-year anniversary is not just noted, but prioritised.
What must Mitchells Plain become in the next 50 years?
The answer cannot come from government alone, it must come from partnership. From communities, from business, from young people, from leaders – all recognising that the future of this place is something we build together.
The first 50 years were about overcoming what was imposed and the next 50 years must be about defining what is possible.
Today, we do not simply celebrate a milestone, but we affirm something deeper.
That this community matters. That its story matters. And that its future is not something that will be decided elsewhere, it will be shaped right here.
Mitchells Plain is not just where many of us come from. It is a place that continues to produce, to challenge, and to inspire. And as a City, our responsibility is to match that energy, to support that ambition, and walk this journey with you.
Caption 1: Emo Adams, musician and entertainer from Mitchells Plain.
Caption 2: Cape Town Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews; Subcouncil 17 Chairperson, Cllr Elton Jansen, and the Western Cape MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sports, Ricardo Mackenzie, attended the launch of the Mitchells Plain 50-year commemoration on Thursday, 23 April 2026.
End Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
