Housing activists and civic groups are urging Western Cape Premier Alan Winde to transform government-owned Cape Town CBD parking lots into affordable housing.
Activists surprise WC premier at coffee shop
On Freedom Day, activists marched through the Cape Town CBD, advocating that the government should transform government-owned parking lots into affordable housing. The activists are part of the #Land4PeopleNot4Parking campaign. It has identified four Cape Town parking lots that could be transformed into housing. The proposed plan could result in 969 social housing units, 969 market-priced apartments, and transitional housing for 732 individuals. The four identified sites are:
- Top Yard parking lot on Glynn Street, owned by the Western Cape government,
- Parliament’s parking lot on Roeland Street, owned by the national government,
- Government garages on Hope Street, owned by the Western Cape government, and
- Government garages on Roeland Street, owned by the Western Cape government.
Winde was at a café in Buitenkant Street when about 80 housing activists approached him, according to Groundup. He was having coffee with provincial education MEC David Maynier.
The activists were from various organisations – Ndifuna Ukwazi, Reclaim the City, Housing Assembly, and Indibano Yabahlali. They are calling for state-owned parking lots to be used to provide affordable housing in the main city area.
Winde’s response
Winde responded by stating that he had requested a meeting with Ndifuna Ukwazi and Reclaim the City to discuss nine sites targeted for development by the provincial government within the inner city. He added that he would include the parking lot proposal in that discussion.
Winde also expressed his intention to address illegally occupied areas and sites. Examples of these are District Six, the Helen Bowden Nurses Home, and Woodstock Hospital. The abandoned Helen Bowden Nurses Home is directly opposite Cape Town’s Waterfront.
According to Mpho Raboeane, the acting director of Ndifuna Ukwazi, they have been trying to engage with the province regarding the situation of individuals occupying the Helen Bowden Nurses Home since 2017. Ndifuna Ukwazi is a non-profit activist organisation in Cape Town that advocates for access to well-located land and affordable housing for poor and working class families, communities, and social movements.
Raboeane acknowledged that the province’s allocation of nine sites for housing was a positive step, reported capetownetc. However, she expressed concerns that the province’s definition of affordability might not align with the financial realities faced by the majority of South Africans.