The City has welcomed the Western Cape High Court’s dismissal of attempts to block the release of 50 City-owned properties for private auction, including the iconic Good Hope Centre.
Housing activists staged a protest outside the Good Hope Centre on Tuesday morning, followed by a court challenge, in a bid to interdict the auction, which is set to take place on Thursday.
The City’s James Vos says this is the latest attempt to block the release of the land.
“We’ve said from the start that our land release process is lawful and transparent, and we are glad that the court has seen through these meritless applications. A total of four have now either been struck off the roll or dismissed with costs.”
Protestors alleged that the City had not followed the proper public participation channels when announcing the release of the land, arguing that it would not benefit the poor. They also demanded that the City prioritise housing.
But Vos says the demands from those opposing the auction, which includes indiginous groups, include baseless claims that unspecified land belongs to specific people.
“We firmly believe that the City’s land portfolio – rather than just sit idle – must drive economic growth across Cape Town. These properties are not being lost to Capetonians – instead, they will now realise their full economic and social potential through private investment to the benefit of residents.”
He says all properties identified for auction have been thoroughly assessed and confirmed as not required for municipal purposes.
The revenue generated from the sale or lease of these properties will also be reinvested directly into service delivery across Cape Town to the benefit of residents.
Vos says the City has further supplied the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) with information on its ground-breaking Mayoral Priority Programme to accelerate affordable housing land release, which has released more land in this term of office than in the decade prior, with a total of 12 000 affordable units in the pipeline.
