A recent opinion piece praised Cape Town for being a well-run municipality experiencing a strong property boom, but raised concerns about infrastructure capacity to cope with accelerating development, particularly regarding traffic congestion in the CBD and Atlantic Seaboard areas.
Residents can, however, be assured that the City will continue making the necessary infrastructure investments and is currently refining mobility plans to support this growth.
Addressing traffic congestion
In the short term, an independent traffic engineering assessment is underway examining tactical interventions to address event-related congestion in the CBD and Seaboard areas.
Overarching strategies to assist with traffic flow in central Cape Town have undergone two rounds of public participation this year: first with the draft CBD Local Spatial Development Framework, and in November with the draft Mobility and Access Plan for the Cape Town CBD (CBDMAP).
This plan aims to transition to a CBD where access is easy and convenient, sustainable transport options are within short walking distance for all, the city feels safe and inclusive, and people of all abilities are provided for.
The main proposals include:
- Improving walkability in the heart of the CBD and around public transport stations;
- Promoting walking and cycling within the CBD by creating a decongestion zone;
- Diverting through-traffic onto bypass roads;
- Better utilisation of off-street parking facilities.
Granted, implementing these outcomes will take time, but this represents a workable alternative as we move towards the future.
Public transport as the foundation
Improved public transport is critical to the future success of the CBD and Seaboard. Thankfully, the building blocks are falling into place.
A large portion of current commuter volumes already arrive in the CBD via public transport, mostly around the Cape Town Station area—by minibus taxi, GABS buses, rail, and MyCiTi, which serves the CBD via the northern corridor along Table Bay, the N2 Express to Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain, and Victoria Road to Hout Bay and Imizamo Yethu.
The progressive restoration of passenger rail, its future devolution for the City to assume operational control, and the ongoing expansion of the MyCiTi system—including the multi-billion rand metro south-east route development—will increase access to scheduled public transport and make it the preferred choice for travelling to the CBD.
Similarly, major City investments in the Seaboard over the years—including the Sea Point Promenade and Green Point Urban Park—remain an excellent foundation for future development.
Balancing development and investment
There is no false choice between redeveloping public land and channelling infrastructure investment into central Cape Town. Land release does precisely that: it rejuvenates precincts with private sector-led mixed-use developments that bring in critical revenue for the city, alongside all the economic benefits and residential opportunities.
Addressing housing supply
Halting state land release and planning approvals more generally, as the recent opinion piece implied, would only entrench the problem of high demand for limited housing supply that Cape Town experiences, like other thriving cities globally.
As Mayor Hill-Lewis notes, there are only two options: reduce demand—and with it the benefits of economic progress and growth—or increase supply by building more housing.
This is why the City is working to make it much easier to build more affordable housing, with Cape Town leading the way nationally on several initiatives:
- Accelerated land release in central Cape Town and other well-located parts of the metro close to economic opportunities, with a pipeline of over 12 000 affordable units,
- Municipal Planning By-Law amendments to streamline development approvals.
- Support for micro-developers: hands-on assistance and incentives to encourage safe and compliant construction of small-scale rental units in townships and areas of highest demand.
Short-term letting regulations
The City agrees that where residences primarily operate as short-term rentals, these should pay commercial rates and tariffs, just like hotels. This will level the playing field and reduce market distortion caused by people gaming the system—running commercial enterprises whilst paying residential rates and tariffs.
The City is already systematically identifying violations of the existing Rates Policy and developing mechanisms to improve compliance further.
Record infrastructure investment
Looking at the bigger picture, Cape Town has a South African record R40 billion infrastructure budget over the next three years and a R120 billion ten-year pipeline. No city is investing more to handle the pressures of a growing economy and population, which is about to cross the five million threshold and surpass Johannesburg as South Africa’s largest metro.
Whatever your income level or wherever you live, Capetonians can be assured that Cape Town—as South Africa’s city of hope—is poised to continue making progress towards being an even better place to live in future, underpinned by transparent planning, record infrastructure investment, and clear long-term mobility strategies.
A pragmatic blueprint
Cape Town’s approach is neither fanciful nor reckless—it is a pragmatic, data-driven blueprint to manage growth, expand opportunity, and build a more inclusive, connected, and resilient city for decades to come.
ALDERMAN MATTHEW KEMPTHORNE,
Chair of SubCouncil 16
