Battle between Reclaim the City, WC govt over sale of Tafelberg property to resume in ConCourt

CAPE TOWN - A lengthy court battle between Reclaim the City and the Western Cape government related to the Tafelberg property in Sea Point is set to resume in the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.

Reclaim the City is taking the provincial government to task for selling the land in 2015 instead of using the site for social housing.

The housing movement's legal arm, Ndifuna Ukwazi, said the case highlighted equitable access to housing on urban land.

The Western Cape government recently announced a proposal to use the site for social services, with a portion earmarked for affordable housing.

On Saturday, Reclaim the City held a protest at Tafelberg, breaching security and calling for the site to be released for social housing.

Ndifuna Ukwazi executive director, Mpho Raboeane, said that the court case was a defining test of South Africa's commitment to undoing spatial apartheid.

"Despite commitments to land reform, affordable housing in urban areas, and undoing spatial apartheid, political will and decisive action remain in question."

Raboeane said the outcome of the matter would shape the future of the country's cities.