We Demand Accountability on Cape Town Land Sales

GOOD Statement by Suzette Little, GOOD Deputy Secretary-General & City of Cape Town Councillor:

The GOOD Party, a member of Unite for Change, has submitted formal written questions to Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, demanding full disclosure of what has happened to 69 City-owned properties sold by public auction since 2021.

These parcels of public land were released under the banner of “mixed-use development” and “service delivery improvement” for the poor. Yet, four years later, there has been no transparent accounting of whether these sales have achieved their stated objectives, or if they have simply become another vehicle for profit at the expense of public need.

The questions to the Mayor demand clarity on:

• How many of the 69 properties have been sold and at what prices;
• The total amount the City has collected from these sales;
• Who purchased the land; and
• How many development plans have actually been submitted and approved.

It is the public’s right to know how its land is being used.

Alongside the council questions, GOOD has drafted a motion calling for a moratorium on the sale or auction of any further City-owned land until the City has made measurable progress in addressing its 400,000-strong housing waiting list.

Cape Town’s persistent housing crisis cannot be solved while the City continues to dispose of developable public land that could be used for affordable and social housing. Selling off scarce urban land while families remain on waiting lists for decades is morally indefensible.

GOOD Public Health: The party emphasizes the importance of public health initiatives.

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