Ndifuna ukwazi
Woodstock Hospital occupation delaying social housing in area - CoCT
The city said that it was now ready to proceed with social housing at the site, but first needed to conduct a survey of those occupying the building.
Ndifuna Ukwazi, through its Reclaim the City campaign, took over the building in 2017 after it was left vacant in a move to secure decent and affordable housing for poor and working-class people.
The City of Cape Town said that it wanted to develop the hospital, calling on occupants to vacate otherwise it would pursue eviction proceedings.
The organisations believe that repurposing Ysterplaat, Wingfield and Youngsfield can help alleviate Cape Town's affordable housing crisis.
Last week, the Cape Town mayoral committee granted an in-principle approval and the matter was on the agenda at a Cape Town council meeting on Thursday.
The Western Cape High Court handed down judgment on Monday as it set aside the sale of the Tafelberg property in Sea Point to a private buyer.
The activists have fought the sale of the Tafelberg property for four years – arguing the well-located piece of public land in Sea Point must be used for social housing.
Lobby group Ndifuna Ukwazi said that even though level 3 regulations provided a prohibition on evictions, it was limited.
According to the Criminal Procedure Act a warrant is needed when seizing items and there are only a few exceptions to that rule.
Housing activists challenged the provincial government’s decision to sell the Tafelberg property to a private buyer.
The provincial government sold the Sea Point property to the Phyllis Jowell Jewish Day School for R135 million about four years ago.
The application asks the High Court to review and set aside the City’s approval of a high-rise building in the CBD.
The hospital has been occupied by homeless and evicted residents since 2017, who dubbed it Cissie Gool House.
Organisations said the city could have used the piece of land to build affordable housing units for Capetonians.
Over the past 11 months, the City of Cape Town has approved building plans to the value of R20.4 billion.
The Berman Brothers group had initially planned to have 20% of the property reserved to be rented to tenants with a monthly income of less than R18,000.
Ndifuna Ukwazi said the City of Cape Town's municipal planning tribunal had approved the development on condition that the maximum monthly household income be increased to R20,000.
The Harbour Arch is a 5.8-hectare development which will include six towers comprising apartments and shops.
According to property developer Amdec, Harbour Arch is set to be the ‘first and largest mixed-use development of its kind in the Cape Town CBD’.