Housing activists and the Western Cape government (WCG) are set to face off in the Constitutional Court on Tuesday over the future of the controversial Tafelberg site in Sea Point.
Cape Town - Housing activists and the Western Cape government (WCG) are set to face off in the Constitutional Court on Tuesday over the future of the controversial Tafelberg site in Sea Point.
The site, originally earmarked for sale to build a private Jewish school, has been at the centre of campaigns led by Reclaim the City (RTC) and Ndifuna Ukwazi, who argue it should be used for affordable housing.
Ahead of the court hearing, tensions flared after MEC for Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers accused RTC of attempting to “illegally invade” the property last Saturday, claiming the breach was caught on video.
“Video footage shows activists, led by Reclaim the City, breaching security and attempting to invade the site,” Simmers’ office said. “Their actions are abhorrent and seem designed to sabotage the redevelopment of this site.”
Simmers added that RTC’s actions left a “bitter taste,” given their long-standing calls for more affordable housing in the city.
“Sadly, many sites earmarked for housing development in and across Cape Town are unlawfully occupied, and the WCG has to spend large amounts of its budget to either evict occupiers or secure these sites. Since 2019, over R1 billion has been spent to secure several sites under threat of invasion. These funds could have been allocated towards delivering more housing opportunities to residents in the province,” his office said.
RTC, however, strongly denied the allegations.
“We did visit the site as part of our Tafelberg Assembly but there was no invasion,” said RTC leader Karen Hendricks.
“The assembly, held at the Sea Point Methodist Church, included a peaceful march to the site as a symbol of justice and inclusivity through our fight for accountability. We returned to the church afterwards,” she said.
Housing activists say the Tafelberg land has become a symbol of Cape Town’s failure to address spatial apartheid and the ongoing housing crisis.
“Not a single affordable house has been built in the inner city,” Hendricks added.
Ndifuna Ukwazi also dismissed Simmers’ claims as misleading, saying the public gathering aimed to raise awareness ahead of the court case.
“There was no attempt to occupy the site,” the group said.
“People peacefully albeit emotionally spoke to the pain of seeing the site still lie empty in the face of desperate need and recall the previous broken promises of the Province that it would build affordable housing on the site.
“It celebrated how the people had succeeded in stopping the Province's attempts to sell the site.”
Activists further criticised Simmers for declining invitations to the assembly and accused the government of avoiding meaningful engagement on housing solutions. The Constitutional Court is expected to rule on the previous sale process of the land and whether the site should remain reserved for social housing.
Since 2019, the Western Cape Government has reportedly spent over R1bn securing sites threatened by unlawful occupation, including land earmarked for housing.
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