Fruit & Veg Controversy: Cape Town Accused of Politicising Affordable Housing

Three Announcements, Little Delivery

Cape Town’s Fruit & Veg site, a prime location on the edge of District Six and the CBD, has once again become the centre of a heated debate over affordable housing. Critics argue the city has repeatedly announced its redevelopment without delivering meaningful results.

Opposition voices, particularly the GOOD Party, have highlighted the repeated announcements. Brett Herron, secretary-general of the party and former Mayco member for transport and urban development, reminded the public that this site was first announced in September 2017, cancelled in August 2019, relaunched with a sod-turning in February 2022, and now touted once more.

“This isn’t just slow progressit’s a political game at the expense of desperate residents,” Herron said. “For 19 years under DA leadership in the City, the inner city has seen zero affordable housing delivery. Residents continue to wait for dignified homes while announcements keep repeating.”

🧵3:
In 2017 the City of Cape Town released a prospectus which identified 11 City owned sites for affordable, social & transitional housing.
Only one site was developed – one transitional housing site we managed to deliver before we left. pic.twitter.com/2G6lExy8Qu

Brett Herron 🇿🇦🍉 (@brettherron) August 30, 2025

City’s Defense: Legal Processes and Final Approval

In response, the City of Cape Town, through spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo, said the site is now at the final Council approval stage.

“By law, sites undergo multiple statutory phases and public participation processes before land can be released,” Tyhalibongo explained. “It is not unusual for a property to appear multiple times on Council agendas at different stages of approval.”

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis emphasised the City’s broader social housing pipeline of 12,000 units, with 4,000 earmarked for inner-city areas like Woodstock, Salt River, and Maitland. He highlighted that the Fruit & Veg site offers proximity to schools, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and the economic opportunities of the CBDa location that could change lives.

Concerns Over Income Brackets

Housing advocacy group Ndifuna Ukwazi welcomed the long-awaited release of the Fruit & Veg site but raised concerns over policy shifts.

“The widening of the income bracket for affordable housing above R30,000 per month risks excluding over 75% of Cape Town’s households,” said spokesperson Yusrah Bardien. “We have to ask: for whom is this ‘affordable housing’ really being built?”

Social and Public Reaction

The saga has drawn widespread attention on social media, with Cape Town residents expressing frustration at the gap between promises and delivery. Many note that while prime locations are highlighted for development, the majority of lower-income households remain sidelined.

One Twitter user commented: “Every few years we hear about the Fruit & Veg site, but nothing ever changes. It feels like a photo opportunity, not housing for the people who actually need it.”

The Fruit & Veg debate reflects broader challenges in Cape Town’s approach to post-apartheid spatial planning. While mixed-use developments and social housing quotas are intended to create more inclusive urban spaces, delays, repeated announcements, and policy shifts risk undermining the city’s stated goals.

As the Council prepares for final approval, the public will be watching closely, not just to see bricks and mortar, but to see whether Cape Town’s commitment to truly affordable, accessible housing finally translates into homes for those who need them most.

{Source: IOL}

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