Housing activist group, Ndifuna Ukwazi, has welcomed the City of Cape Town’s plan to redevelop Mowbray Golf Course with 30% affordable housing but warns that without clear affordability measures, long-term protections, and racial redress, the project risks becoming mere ‘affordable housing tokenism.’
The portions of Mowbray Golf Course will be
used among others for affordable housing. The City said the golf course offers
access to employment hubs, amenities and residential areas.
‘’For 113 years, Mowbray Golf Course has
symbolised exclusion, leased at a nominal rate while serving as a green buffer
that reinforced apartheid-era spatial divisions. The City’s proposal for a
mixed-use development is a step forward, but the 30% affordable housing
allocation remains unclear and inadequate. To truly serve Cape Town’s most vulnerable
residents, the project must center equity and redress,’’ said Jonty Cogger, Attorney
at Ndifuna Ukwazi.
‘’With over 58% of Cape Town households earning
less than R10,000 per month, long-term sustainability measures are essential to
prevent displacement and uphold the Constitutional right to housing. Instead of
selling the land, the City should explore alternatives like 99-year leases and
community land trusts to ensure affordability while maintaining public
ownership. Transparency throughout the process is critical to achieving these
goals.’’
‘’Housing policies must also include explicit
racial redress. Race-neutral approaches fail marginalised communities and risk
deepening apartheid-era inequalities. This is a historic opportunity for Cape
Town to break with its exclusionary past, but without bold commitments, this could
become another missed opportunity,’’ he added
Done By: Elona Sibunzi
No comments:
Post a Comment