Hill-Lewis unveils new inner-city affordable housing project

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said on Wednesday he is committed to releasing well-located public land to support working families in the inner city.

Hill-Lewis joined Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and provincial infrastructure MEC Tertuis Simmers to unveil a mixed-use development in the city centre on Wednesday.

The new building is located between Somerset, Buitengracht, Chiappini, and Prestwich streets.

The Prestwich Precinct project will transform the parcel of public land into two seven-storey and 12-storey buildings, with 120 units set aside for affordable housing. The remaining 180 units will be allocated to the open market.

"We are putting in some of the land to make this development possible to make sure it is big enough and of a sufficient scale for the cost subsidisation required to make some of the housing more affordable," said Hill-Lewis.

The mayor said the development will make it easier for people who work in the central business district (CBD) to get to their places of employment.

"This is now the fifth project that we are partnering with in the inner city and that's in addition to many of our own projects at Salt River and at Fruit and Veg in Roeland Street and elsewhere to get much more affordable accommodation in the inner city and surrounds."

A developer tender for the site is expected to be advertised on 10 April 2026.