Join the public participation for Tafelberg housing development starting May 21

The public participation process into the contentious Tafelberg site in Sea Point, which housing activists have called to be used for social housing, has begun.

The first step of the process is set to take place on May 21 at the Life Conference Centre in Sea Point.

According to ward councillor, Nicola Jowell, the process seeks to gain communication from the residents.

“Public participation: The Province has sent out an invitation to attend an information session on the site enablement of the Consolidated Erf 1424 – RE (including unregistered Erf 1675), 353 Main Road, Sea Point East (Tafelberg Site)," she said.

"This is the first step in the public engagement process.

"It is aimed at providing interested and affected parties with essential information and an opportunity to engage directly in the co-creation process from an early stage,” she said. 

Infrastructure MEC, Tertuis Simmers, said they were happy that the process was ready to begin.

“I am very pleased with the good progress being made in providing mixed-use, affordable housing in the inner city.

“In terms of the Tafelberg development, we have now sent out invitations to the first information session on the site enablement of the property.

“The engagement aims to equip interested and affected parties with key information and create an opportunity for them to actively participate in the co-creation process from the outset," said Simmers. 

In February, the Constitutional Court reserved judgment in the matter involving activists' plight of spatial apartheid against the City, Western Cape Government, the Premier and Transport and Public Works MEC, over the site. .

The activists took their plight to the apex court to appeal the Supreme Court of Appeal's judgment handed down last year, which ruled in favour of the Western Cape Government.

The property is over 1.7 hectares in size and has a legacy of forced removals.

Until 2010, a portion of the land was used as the provincial education department's Tafelberg  Remedial School and a portion known as erf 1675 and 1424 was used by the provincial department of human settlements as affordable state-rental housing known as the Wyngard Mansions site.

The application was prompted following the sale of the Tafelberg property known as “The Tafelberg Site" to the highest bidder - the Phyllis Jowell Jewish Day School at the price tag of  R135 million in 2015.

Earlier this year, Simmers and Jaco Londt for the Western Cape Social Development announced that  a portion of  the site be allocated for social services, while the other portion is proposed to be utilised for affordable housing.

Cape Argus