In a stinging rebuke for how it has handled affordable housing in Cape Town’s most sought-after neighbourhoods, the Constitutional Court has instructed the Western Cape provincial government to file its inner-city housing plans within three months, finding it failed to make adequate housing available in well-located areas.
The court ruled that the attempted sale of the former Tafelberg school site in Sea Point was unlawful, and faulted the province for not carrying out meaningful public participation. Beyond setting aside the sale process, the court also ordered the government to disclose details of affordable housing projects that are completed, underway, and in the pipeline.
The decision follows a decade-long campaign by Ndifuna Ukwazi and Reclaim the City, which challenged the provincial government’s proposed sale of the former school property.
