Western Cape Government is committed to spatial redress despite challenges

As a government that prioritises the needs of the residents of the Western Cape, especially the most vulnerable, the Western Cape Government (WCG) is proud of its record of delivery when it comes to addressing the province’s complex and significant housing needs.

“We always feel that we can do more, but despite formidable challenges, we have made progress in our efforts to enable affordable housing opportunities across the Western Cape, said Premier Alan Winde.

Affordable housing close to economic and job opportunities is a global problem, and here in South Africa our country’s tragic past makes this challenge even more complex. But It is worthwhile to reflect on some of our government successes and the different approaches we have taken to meet the growing affordable housing need in this province:

• Conradie Park Project: the objective of this catalytic development is to provide affordable, mixed-income, mixed-use development through optimising land use including predominantly grant-funded social housing towards realising a “live, work, and play” environment. Of specific relevance are the 1 563 grant-funded homes which comprise 1 236 social housing units, 327 First Home Finance units, and 149 open market units. The project includes Early Childhood Development (ECD) and primary schooling with a sports field, retail and commercial space, and a recreation park.
• Maitland Mews Rental Estate: the development of 204 affordable housing units in Maitland, Cape Town was completed in March 2023. The project includes 24-hour security; and recreational play areas; some of the units are disabled-friendly; units are fitted with solar PV panels to feed geysers, reducing electricity consumption. The project forms part of the Maitland Metro rejuvenation initiative which will see the development of at least 1 200 residential opportunities in this centrally located node.
• Goodwood Station development: The project, which was completed in July 2024, has been made possible through partnerships between the WCG, the DCI Community Housing Services (DCI), the National Department of Human Settlements, the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA), City of Cape Town (CCT) and Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) to develop 1055 affordable housing units.
• In Mountain View, Mossel Bay we are building 278 First Home Finance Programme (FHFP) and 725 Breaking New Ground (BNG) houses through the R312m Mountain View Integrated Residential Development Programme.
• And in the Mountain Ridge development in Dal Josafat, Paarl we are providing 362 new Social Housing units. 

These are only a few examples of the initiatives the WCG and its stakeholders have undertaken to meet the province’s housing waiting list and to offer residents dignified housing opportunities.

Other projects in the pipeline for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years will see more than 7,000 affordable housing units developed, amounting to R3, 334, 848, 945.

And the work to deliver affordable housing is not just being driven by the Western Cape Government, it is also being driven by municipalities and the private sector across this province. The Adam Tas Corridor catalytic development and an inclusionary zoning policy in Stellenbosch provides inclusionary housing opportunities for a broader set of well-located areas in the municipality. The Adam Tas Corridor overlay zone is expected to deliver between 2 753 and 3 835 inclusionary housing units over the next ten years alone.

Another way in which the WCG is further empowering homeowners is through ensuring that they have the title deeds of the properties that they live in – a title deed gives a resident the leverage to take the next step in being economically active and passing a legacy of wealth onto future generations. Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, recently handed over title deeds to beneficiaries of affordable housing units in the Southern Cape and West Coast.

Apart from bricks-and-mortar projects, the provincial government is also working to address problematic spatial urban designs through the Inclusionary Housing Policy Framework. This initiative allows private sector stakeholders to optimise housing opportunities, bringing them closer to economic centres. 

It is unacceptable that certain activist groups continue to try to mislead the public over our efforts to provide viable, sustainable housing opportunities to deserving beneficiaries in the province. “This does not help matters and only serves to divide us when we should be working together to find multiple solutions and approaches to meet our housing needs – all of us: government, residents, the private sector have a role to play,” emphasised Premier Alan Winde. He added, “This is not helping us to find common ground on this critical issue - it is a complex issue that needs a multipronged approach. We want to see well-located affordable housing across our province, not just in urban centres but in rural areas too, and this requires all of us to work together.”

Minister Simmers, stressed, “It is concerning that these activist groups that claim to fight for spatial redress and the poor, are seemingly working against our efforts to deliver viable housing opportunities, especially in the City of Cape Town. Since 2019, unlawful occupations and land invasions imposed on the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure (DoI) an expenditure of R987 million to secure our housing development projects. This does not only put tremendous strain on our budgets, but it robs deserving beneficiaries of housing opportunities.”

He concluded, “Despite these challenges, we remain committed to delivering dignified housing to the people of the Western Cape. In the first 100 days of my new term in office, the DoI has delivered over 1 800 housing opportunities across the province, and over 1 000 Individual Housing Subsidies, exceeding our targets.”

“We have much to do over the next five years of my term and we need to tackle this challenge, and I look forward to us doing it with a genuine commitment to our common goal of developing affordable and accessible housing across this province,” concluded Premier Winde.