Hill-Lewis comments after court clears controversial Good Hope Centre sale

The Western Cape High Court has dismissed the urgent bid, clearing the path for the City of Cape Town’s contentious planned auction of 50 municipal properties, including the Good Hope Centre.

The sale sparked concerns about the potential displacement of low-income residents and the prioritisation of private development over social housing.

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While the Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, acknowledged the concerns, he argued that the properties are being released to unlock economic and social value for the city.

He added that many of the properties are small and not suitable for social housing, but the city was working to increase the supply of housing in areas like Woodstock and Salt River.

“We assess each property for its viability for social housing. For a social housing project to work, it has to be of a certain scale because inside the development there has to be some cross-subsidisation to make the social housing unit available.”

Hill-Lewis said that while the Good Hope Centre is a very large property, it has very tight restrictions as it is deemed a heritage building.

He added that the idea that developments will only benefit the wealthy is not true, as demand for middle-income housing in the city increases.

He argued that the new supply creates more supply across the entire housing ladder, allowing people to move up and make space for others.

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

“When you increase the supply of housing, you can stabilise the price and hopefully, over time, see it come down, which is very important for our city. I would rather do that than see these plots lie fallow.”

To listen to Hill-Lewis in conversation with CapeTalk’s John Maytham, use the audio player below: