WESTERN CAPE. – The City of Cape Town will strongly oppose the South African Human Rights Commission's (SAHRC) application for the release of 49 municipal properties for development. The properties include 28 properties earmarked for residential development and, according to the City, must provide for housing needs in lower and middle-income areas.
Geordin Hill-Lewis, mayor of Cape Town, accuses the SAHRC of acting politically and says the application comes roughly six months after the City answered initial inquiries. According to him, the properties in question have already gone through extensive processes, including public participation, before being auctioned in February 2026. The City argues that the development of the properties will also create commercial and industrial opportunities. This includes areas such as Mitchells Plain, Maitland, Goodwood, Kraaifontein, Somerset West, Durbanville, Atlantis, Delft and Parow.
The City says it has made 14 sites available for affordable housing during the current term of office, with the potential for approximately 7 000 housing units. A further 39 sites are in the pipeline. The City also says land release has generated R628 million in revenue so far, which is reinvested in services and infrastructure.
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This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
