More than 1,800 hectares of land identified for affordable housing projects in WC - dept

The Western Cape Infrastructure Department said it has identified more than 1,800 hectares of land to build affordable homes for residents of the province.

This was revealed during a written reply to a Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary question.

The department said this includes 303 hectares of provincial government-owned land and more than 1,500 hectares of national government-owned land.

From provincial land, nearly 17,500 housing opportunities have been earmarked in areas such as Blue Downs, Belhar, Sea Point, and Cape Town CBD, among others.

The department said it’s waiting on national government to release identified land identified to develop housing projects in areas including Caledon, Grabouw, Saldaanha, Malmesbury, and Vredenburg.

The DA’s Dirk Wessels said the party welcomed the steps taken by the department to unlock land for housing.

"The identification of more than 1,896 hectares of land shows the Western Cape’s government commitment to tackling this housing backlog. But unless national government stops dragging its feet and releases the land on time, residents will continue to pay the price for delays. We call on this national government to fast-track approvals so that this land can be developed."