South Africa says 600 hectares in Cape Town could yield 21,000 housing opportunities
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Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane says 600 hectares across 120 Cape Town land parcels could yield about 21,000 housing opportunities, while 162,583 beneficiaries have waited at least five years on the city's Housing Needs Register.
Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane says 600 hectares across 120 Cape Town land parcels could yield about 21,000 housing opportunities, while 162,583 beneficiaries have been on the city's Housing Needs Register for at least five years.
Simelane revealed the figures when she was responding to parliamentary questions from ActionSA MP Dereleen James and MK Party MP Zelna Abader on housing-related matters in the City of Cape Town. "The total number of hectares on properties that are being prepared for implementation and release to the market is approximately 400 hectares on 31 land parcels," she said.
Asked about the Western Cape government's announcement that it had released land for nearly 5,000 social and affordable housing opportunities, Simelane said information from the provincial Department of Infrastructure showed land was released for 4,380 social and affordable housing units. The projects are at various stages, including procurement, enablement and de-risking to acquire development rights, and include Conradie Park, Oranjezicht, Leeulop, Stikland and Amandela Place.
The minister said the process is still at an early stage and that details of approved funding for each project were not yet available, nor were implementation and completion timelines. She warned there would be consequences for officials and implementing agents should any project fail to meet its approved targets, though she said such consequences could not be pre-empted before the process is concluded and the necessary agreements are in place.
The parliamentary reply comes amid a political row over Cape Town's housing delivery. GOOD Party mayoral candidate Brett Herron has accused the DA of using a long-delayed housing project as an election campaign, noting the site was earmarked for social housing nearly two decades ago, while DA mayoral candidate and mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis used the Salt River Market site on Monday to launch his housing plan for another term.