Premier
With regard to the Tafelberg Place matter in which the Western Cape Government has been a party in various litigation stages involving the piece of land:
- Whether the Provincial Government is a respondent in the same matter before the Constitutional Court; if so, why;
- whether the Provincial Government has now decided to abide by the order of the Western Cape High Court to develop the site for purposes of responding to inner-city social housing deficiencies in an effort to reverse the effects of racially skewed spatial planning; if so, what are the relevant details?
For the purpose of responding to this question, it is presumed that the “Tafelberg Place” referred to is a reference to the former Tafelberg School site, 353 on Main Road, Sea Point.
As such, the Department of Infrastructure has informed me that:
- Yes. The Provincial Government is a respondent in the same matter before the Constitutional Court as the owner of the property cited.
- No. The order of the Western Cape High Court was set aside by the Supreme Court of Appeal and the matter is now before the Constitutional Court. The Provincial Government cannot abide by an order that is still under consideration by the Constitutional Court. However, in line with its service delivery mandate and as provided for by the Government Immovable Asset Management Act, 2007 (GIAMA), the WCG has decided to investigate and plan for development of the property for both affordable housing and social services, as announced by the Provincial Ministers of Infrastructure and Social Development in January 2025.
I want to emphasise that the Western Cape Government has always sought to make the best possible use of its assets to benefit the people of this province. At the time that the debate surrounding the Tafelberg Site began, the pocket of land was judged to be surplus to government needs, and a decision was taken that the money from the sale of the site could be better used to fund other vital projects. Since that time, 10 years have passed, the Western Cape’s population has grown dramatically, and we have suffered the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. This confluence of factors drastically change the demand for government services and housing in the area. Additionally, portions of the site are subject to heritage protection requirements, and are unsuitable for development into housing units.
As such, this government’s plan for the Tafelberg site has been developed to responsively cater for the updated needs of the surrounding community, within the constraints of the property.
While we await the judgement of the Constitutional Court in this matter, we continue to believe that our plan for the Tafelberg Site remains the best possible compromise in catering to demand for both affordable housing and vital social services in the area. As always, we remain committed to using the site for the greatest possible benefit of the people of the Western Cape.
