Cape Town - In what lobby groups have hailed as a breakthrough, a provincial government study has found low-cost housing can be built at the Tafelberg School Site in Sea Point.
The province’s Department of Transport and Public Works has published a financial model for 270 new social housing units for the site, Ndifuna Ukwazi said in a statement following the report’s release.
“The model envisions a mixed use development on the site and will include affordable housing. The housing would be cross-subsidised by on-site commercial retail outlets. Two hundred and seventy social housing units, for low-income households earning between R1 500 and R7 500, are envisioned in the model. The existing school building will be retained as a school,” the group said.
Ndifuna Ukwazi director Jared Rossouw said on Sunday the news was big for them as they had been fighting for this for a long time. Ndifuna Ukwazi and Reclaim the City had taken on the provincial government to have low cost housing in Sea Point.
“It’s not the result of us alone, there has been huge support from people across the city. This is the result of people holding their government to account,” Rossouw said. “Importantly, this financial model is not yet a confirmed plan for affordable housing development on the Tafelberg site. It is dependent on the fulfilment of numerous assumptions cited as part of the model and upon a public participation period.”
He said many Sea Point homeowners feared their property values will fall should the development take place, adding their fears were irrational. “A lot of people do not understand what it is. We are talking about domestics and cashiers who work in Sea Point benefiting.
“The majority of fears are around property rates and crime, but this is the same person that has been cleaning your house for years. What is really needed now is for the premier to look at legacy in the eye and lead politically.”
Transport and Public Works MEC Donald Grant’s spokesman Siphesihle Dube would not comment as the matter must go to the provincial cabinet “for final determination”.
Department spokesman Byron La Hoe said it had been tasked to prepare a financial model to enable cabinet to take a decision. This was in light of some of the comments received in support of social housing,he said.
Both Premier Helen Zille’s spokesman Michael Mpofu and his Reclaim the City counterpart Elizabeth Gqoboka could not be reached.
Cape Argus