City faces pushback on erf 1117

The City of Cape Town has rejected claims that plans for low-cost housing on Erf 1117 in Blouberg would bring “catastrophic” consequences to the area, insisting that no development application for the site currently exists.

This comes as community opposition escalates and a public demonstration is planned for Saturday, December 6, from 10am to 11am, at Erf 1117, on the corner of Big Bay Boulevard and the R27 near Table Bay Mall.

According to a statement sent to Tabletalk on Sunday, November 30, the Community Representation for Blaauwberg (CRB) accused the City of “bulldozing ahead” with the Big Bay Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF) while failing to disclose adequate evacuation and emergency plans for the Koeberg Nuclear Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ).

The CRB said it has “taken this much further” by seeking legal advice, establishing a legal foundation for its objections, and engaging directly with the City Manager and the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR).

“We are now taking it further with the public protector,” the group said, adding that it is working with communities in the deep south and other areas “to achieve synergy.”

The protest aims to draw wider public attention to what the CRB describes as critical safety concerns linked to large-scale development in the EPZ.

Meanwhile, the FF Plus’s Pieter Jansen van Vuuren has also criticised the proposed plans, arguing that Erf 1117 could ultimately accommodate 25 000 residents in an area far from employment opportunities.

For the Big Bay LSDF, the City states that the plan currently proposes about 3 600 residential units on Erf 1117, which is owned by the National Department of Public Works and earmarked for housing across various income groups.

However, the City’s mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, Eddie Andrews, stressed that no development proposal or application has been submitted.

He said the City is reviewing public submissions made before the October 21, 2023 deadline and that further internal and community consultation is required before the LSDF can be finalised.

Civil society organisations have condemned the FF Plus’s rhetoric. 

Ndifuna Ukwazi researcher Noziphiwo Sigwela labelled the party’s claims “reckless and misleading fear-mongering”, arguing that such narratives perpetuate spatial exclusion and block access to well-located areas for poor and black residents.

Concerns from within the community continue to mount.

Jan Derksen, chairperson of the Bloubergstrand Residents Association, has already requested an extension to the comment period, while the Greater Table View Action Forum accuses the City of threatening biodiversity on the site and ignoring key planning principles.

Separately, the City has dismissed allegations that 10 000 low-cost housing units are planned for Fish Hoek, calling the claims “unfounded” and “misleading”.

The comments were again made by Mr Van Vuuren, who said residents were “outraged” by what he described as the City’s “ill-considered plans” for large-scale housing developments in established suburbs.

He attributed pressure on the province to “uncontrolled influx”, citing census data showing a net migration of more than 646 000 people to the Western Cape between 2011 and 2021.

“The City’s proposal for erecting 10 000 low-cost units in precious open spaces in Fish Hoek defies all logic,” he said.

Mr Andrews rejected these claims, saying the draft Masiphumelele LSDF identifies preferred sites for affordable housing at the Lochiel smallholdings near Masiphumelele and that no development rights have been approved. 

He said the City is still assessing public comments before refining the draft plan.