Affordable housing in the Cape Town CBD remained unprioritised at the expense of a focus on luring international companies to the city.
That’s the concern from housing activist organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU), in reaction to the 11th annual Cape Town Central City Improvement District’s (CCID) State of Cape Town Central City Report for 2022, showing that 22 buildings developments had recorded a net worth of R3.5 billion.
Eight of these buildings were residential, six were commercial, four were mixed-use, two retail, one an aparthotel, and the other a parastatal building.
Ndifuna Ukwazi said the delay in providing affordable housing in the city was “further entrenching spatial injustice”.
NU spokesperson Yusrah Bardien said: “Neither the City, the province or the national government have built any affordable housing units in central Cape Town, Woodstock, Salt River or the Atlantic Seaboard since the dawn of democracy.
“In 2017, the City announced 11 sites for social housing in the inner city, Woodstock and Salt River but to date, only 19 housing units have been produced. In 2019, the City promised to present an inclusionary housing bill, which would ensure that large-scale residential developments would include a percentage of affordable housing, or a donation towards afordable housing on a nearby site. It is now nearly four years later and the City has still not presented the public with a draft while our neighbouring municipality, Stellenbosch, has already approved their inclusionary housing policy in June,” said Bardien.
According to the report, two developments by the local government aimed at addressing the need for affordable accommodation and the housing backlog, were listed in the 2022 property development map.
This is the Leeuloop project, in the planning phase, and the proposal for the Founders Garden development, earmarked for the Artscape Theatre Centre precinct.
Leeuloop, which will be bordered by Dorp, Bree, Leeuwen and Loop streets, is set to add 341 housing units while Founders Garden will add another 1 185 units, the report stated.
Bardien said micro apartments would not address the affordable housing need.
“In the (CCID report), the City announces that 880 new housing units will be ‘luxury studio, one- and -two-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 24m2 to 85m2. These micro apartments do not address the need that black, Indian and coloured households need for their families in terms of space, and further exclude these families on the basis of affordability. The delay and resistance to create affordable housing in Cape Town is further entrenching spatial injustice rather than taking radical action to undo it,” said Bardien.
According to the report, at the end of 2022, 57 apartments were listed for rent in the city centre with the average monthly rental calculated at R11 586, and the highest at R21 500.
The lowest was R7 000 per month. The average rent for a one-bedroom unit was R14 233.
The highest was priced at R25 000 for 94m2 while the lowest was priced at R9 500 for 26m2.
Mayoral committee (Mayco) member for spatial planning and environment, Eddie Andrews said: “The City is embarking on a process to draft a local spatial development framework (or LSDF) for the Cape Town CBD. The intention of the LSDF is to facilitate transition planning that will ensure the CBD’s economic prosperity, protect and maintain existing investments, while creating new opportunities to transform the area into a more liveable, inclusive and resilient space.
“The City’s Urban Planning and Design Department has prepared a draft contextual analysis document that will form the basis for the proposed LSDF to be prepared in coming months. The City is giving an overview of properties and their zonings within the CBD in the draft contextual analysis document that we will make available for public comment on 1 September to 30 September, 2023.”
Cape Times