CAPE TOWN, Western Cape — Democratic Alliance leader and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has reaffirmed his commitment to expanding Cape Town affordable housing, announcing that the city is compiling a detailed report for the Constitutional Court to demonstrate its delivery progress over the past five years.
The Constitutional Court previously found that the city had failed to solve the housing crisis in both the Western Cape province and the city itself, ordering the submission of a comprehensive report outlining concrete, actionable plans to resolve the matter. Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of his fifth pledge for affordable housing at the Salt River Market Site, Hill-Lewis highlighted the municipality’s ongoing construction and development efforts.
Hill-Lewis stated that the city has successfully provided over 12,000 housing units in Cape Town since 2021. He pointed to the Salt River Market project as a prime example of this momentum, noting that the city has invested over 900 million into the development, which will yield more than 900 new housing units. This project, alongside many others, will be prominently featured in the upcoming Constitutional Court submission to demonstrate that affordable housing delivery is happening at pace.
“While many other people talk, we are actually delivering it,” Hill-Lewis asserted, with the sounds of active construction work audible in the background.
Looking ahead, the Mayor pledged to continue offering affordable housing closer to economic opportunities. He outlined a multi-pronged strategy to achieve this, which includes delivering more affordable houses across the city, releasing additional state and city-owned land, persistently advocating for state-owned land allocations specifically for affordable housing, and implementing regulatory amendments to ease red tape and accelerate future delivery.
However, the Salt River Market development has faced political and social scrutiny. Some political parties argue that the project cannot be used as a valid example of the Democratic Alliance and the City of Cape Town fulfilling their constitutional mandate to develop well-located, affordable housing in line with the court’s judgment. Critics point out that the city has failed to implement a foundational decision regarding the site that was originally taken in 2008.
Further concerns have been raised regarding the human impact of the redevelopment. Families living on the site were issued notices to leave and subsequently relocated. Additionally, members of the informal trading community have expressed deep uncertainty, having not received the same guarantees about future accommodation or a designated place within the new mixed-use development. Community advocates warn that the city cannot solve one housing problem by creating another.
These developments unfold as several political parties officially launch their local government election campaigns, intensifying the race for political control of the City of Cape Town.
