City faces backlash for unfulfilled redevelopment promises

The City of Cape Town has found itself defending its actions amid sharp criticism regarding its announcements of properties for development without having anything to show for it, after comments from the GOOD Party’s Brett Herron.

Herron highlighted that the redevelopment of the “Fruit & Veg” site in the CBD has been announced three times without tangible results.

In response, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, during a Council speech last month, said: “The property is close to schools, it is mere blocks away from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and you have the entire city centre with all its economic opportunities right on your doorstep. This is the kind of address that can change people’s lives and open up entire new avenues of opportunity for them."

However, Herron, called out the City for announcing the same property thrice.

“On August 21 the Mayor of Cape Town announced redevelopment of the 'Fruit & Veg' site in Roeland Street. It was previously announced in Sept 2017, cancelled in August 2019, and relaunched with a sod-turning in February 2022. It’s been announced 3 times since 2017,” he posted on social media over the weekend.

Herron elaborated on Monday, accusing Hill-Lewis of playing “a very crude and cruel political game with the issue of affordable housing and housing desperation”.

“It is time for all of us to hold them accountable for failing to implement these projects and for the dishonesty in re-announcing the same public land for release for housing purposes. I can name at least 20 sites that have been identified and announced in the inner city since at least as far back as 2008. Not one of them has been developed,” Herron said.

“The current track record of the DA-governed City and Province is zero inner-city affordable housing despite the DA being in government in the City for 19 years and in the province for 16 years. That track record is as bad as any other government in South Africa - national, provincial or local - where promises are empty and people suffer unbearably waiting for dignified housing,” Herron said.

Asked for comment, City spokesperson, Luthando Tyhalibongo, defended the City, saying the site has reached the stage of final Council approval for land release.

“By law, sites must undergo several statutory phases and public participations before final release. Sites therefore feature several times on Council's agenda for approvals at each stage.

“It must be noted that more land has been released during this term than in the 10 years prior, as part of the City's accelerated land release for the affordable housing priority programme,” Tyhalibongo said.

Ndifuna Ukwazi’s spokesperson, Yusrah Bardien, added that they welcome the long-awaited release of the site as its release is a critical, “albeit delayed, step towards addressing the housing crisis”.

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