‘Single biggest project' launched for Cape Town inner city housing development
Western Cape MEC for Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, has described the launch of the Founders Garden site in the Cape Town CBD as the 'single biggest development by this provincial government', which will see about 1,400 social housing residential units built in an area the provincial government has been previously criticised for over a lack of development.
Simmers was speaking at the official launch on Friday, 25 July 2025. According to the provincial government, the tender to procure a developer as well as a social housing institution for the development was advertised on 25 July.
The site — situated next to the Artscape Theatre in the CBD and within walking distance of the public transport interchange — will eventually see up to 1,476 social housing residential units and 1,162 open market units, according to the government.
Simmers said this project would 'be the single biggest development by this provincial government in terms of quantity, well worth over R2-billion, with just under 2,700 units'.
Inner city affordable or social housing has been a contentious issue between provincial and local authorities, with activists often criticising the City for the lack of affordable and social housing within the inner CBD area.
Protracted court case
During a protracted Tafelberg court case (over a government-owned property that was sold rather than used for housing) in 2019, it emerged from City of Cape Town lawyers that there had been no social housing built in the inner city for 25 years.
Now the province and City have attempted to directly address this need. Speaking on Friday, Simmers said: 'So this isn't a housing project on the outskirts which this provincial government is so normally criticised for; we're developing in the inner city.'
In April, the Western Cape announced the first site — Leeuloop (located in Loop Street in the CBD) — which Simmers described as 'historic' — two tower blocks with about 850 housing opportunities that will have 350 units specifically allocated for social housing.
On Friday, Simmers said the tender processes were under way, after the tender application closed earlier this week.
Together with Leeuloop, Prestwich Precinct and Founders Garden, three mega projects will be launched this year.
Simmers said these projects were part of Premier Alan Winde's vision for his second term of changing people's lives.
'How do we create opportunities, but most importantly how do we bring a level of dignity back to our communities that we seek to integrate?' he asked.
When asked by Daily Maverick about the financing of the development, which will see both public and private housing across four buildings with two allocated for social housing, Simmers said: 'A portion of it will come through the social housing grant for the social housing component, and the balance will come from the private sector.'
In terms of timelines for when people would be able to move into their new homes, Simmers said: 'In terms of the clear project timeline, once the successful bidder has been appointed later on this year, then we will communicate the specific timeline.'
Previously, activist organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi, which has been calling for affordable and social housing within well-located areas including the inner city, claimed that the 'Founders Garden site and the Prestwich Precinct were earmarked for housing as far back as 2014'. DM
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