Civil society groups seek interdict to halt City of Cape Town land auction

Various civil society organisations are protesting outside the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday to oppose the City of Cape Town's planned auction of more than 50 parcels of public land.

The City of Cape Town stated that the properties are zoned for residential, commercial, industrial, and mixed-use purposes.

These sites are scheduled to be made available for sale and lease this Thursday.

ALSO READ: Cape Town’s Good Hope Centre among 50 city-owned properties to go under hammer

Earlier on Tuesday, protesters gathered at the Good Hope Centre, one of the primary properties slated for the auction block.

The full list of properties to be auctioned includes:
The Good Hope Centre precinct
Land parcels in Mitchells Plain
Sites in Atlantis, Parow, and Goodwood

Lawyers representing a collective of land activists have filed an urgent application to halt the proceedings, seeking to prevent the City from moving forward with the sale.

The City maintains that the auction is a strategic move to benefit the metro's growth. Officials argue that the sale is "turning dormant land into opportunity for residential, commercial, and mixed-use development" as part of a vision for a future-focused Cape Town.

James Vos, Mayco member for Economic Growth, said the narrative that the City of Cape Town is selling land without regard for social return or housing needs is false.

"Firstly, the properties going to auction have gone through extensive internal processes to determine their highest and best use. Many of these sites are not suitable for social housing due to zoning constraints, location, size, bulk limitations, or market viability. In cases where land is suitable for human settlements development, it is transferred to the City’s Human Settlements Directorate, not sold on auction," he said.