The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure has identified more than 1 896 hectares of land suitable for housing development, including mixed-income, affordable, and social housing projects across the province.
According to a parliamentary reply released this week, the identified land comprises approximately 303 hectares of provincial government property and 1 593 hectares owned by the national government. The provincial government has formally requested the release of these parcels of land to local municipalities for development.
The provincial land alone could accommodate nearly 17 500 housing opportunities across several areas, including Blue Downs, Welmoed, Belhar, Lotus River, Sea Point, Hout Bay, the Cape Town CBD Foreshore, and Observatory.
Additional housing projects have been proposed for national government land in Wellington, Paarl, Caledon, Grabouw, Saldanha, Malmesbury, Vredenburg, Worcester, Kylemore, and Tamboerskloof.
However, the release of national government land faces bureaucratic delays. The National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure must first confirm that user departments no longer require each property before sites can be transferred to the Housing Development Agency for development.
Dirk Wessels, Democratic Alliance’s spokesperson on infrastructure, criticised the pace of national land releases.
“The identification of more than 1 896 hectares of land for housing is a clear demonstration of the Western Cape Government’s commitment to tackling the housing backlog,” Wessels said. “But unless the National Government stops dragging its feet and releases land timeously, residents will continue to pay the price for delays.”
Wessels called for expedited approval from the national government, stating that the DA would “continue to push for the release of well-located land so that families can access the dignity and security of a home.”
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