Western Cape government drops social housing bombshell in court

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Cape Town - The Western Cape government has admitted that there are no social housing projects within the City that have been completed and said it is not obligated to use the Tafelberg site for social housing. The Western Cape government dropped this bombshell on the third day of court proceedings over the controversial Tafelberg site in Sea Point. This came after Judge Patrick Gamble asked the province whether they admit to no social housing projects being completed - an argument legal centre Ndifuna Ukwazi, along with activist group Reclaim the City, has been vocal about since the first day of court proceedings on Monday. Advocate Eduard Fagan who represents the Province said: “There are no completed social housing projects within the inner city. The province has no obligation to do anything with this (Tafelberg) land and remains the owner.” Gamble questioned what progress the province has made with regards to social housing within the inner city.

“There are specific type of group earnings between R3 500 to R15 000 that are excluded. This group does not qualify for housing and they are seeking relief,” Gamble said.

Fagan said: “The province has pipeline projects. The Woodstock Hospital is currently illegally occupied and the process is taking long, the City has approved the rezoning of the Somerset Hospital.”

Judge Gamble criticized Advocate Fagan’s reliance on projects in the pipeline. Gamble said it’s no surprise that people do not trust the provincial government anymore because they have not provided a single social housing project.

Reclaim the City and Ndifuna Ukwazi are challenging the decision by the provincial government to sell the well-located Tafelberg property to a private buyer, the Phyllis Jowell Jewish Day School, in the face of a housing affordability crisis.

Reclaim the City, which presented its case on Monday, argued that both the City and province failed to comply with their obligations to address spatial apartheid as set out in the Constitution.

The Human Settlements Department has launched a separate application against the province which is being heard together with Reclaim the City’s application.

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