Latest news with #TertuisSimmers
IOL News
2 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Western Cape Government launches R2bn housing project for 2,600 homes
Over 2,600 affordable housing units will rise next to the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town's largest inner-city housing development, Founders Garden. Image: Supplied In a significant move to address the housing shortage and enhance urban living, the Western Cape Government has unveiled its largest inner-city hosing development to date offering more than 2 600 residential units in the heart of Cape Town's CBD. Premier Alan Winde and Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, officially unveiled the Founders Garden development on Friday. With a projected value of more than R2 billion, the high-rise, mixed-use project will deliver 1,476 social housing units and 1,162 open-market units, bringing the total to over 2,630 new homes. 'This development is the largest public sector housing development in the CBD,' said Minister Simmers. 'I am extremely proud of how the Western Cape Government is accelerating the delivery of housing opportunities.' The project, situated next to the Artscape Theatre Centre and within walking distance of key public transport nodes and health services, is part of a broader provincial effort to bring affordable housing closer to the city's economic heart. The site will also feature an Early Childhood Development Centre and other public amenities, ensuring it becomes a fully integrated urban space. Premier Winde stressed the broader impact of the initiative. 'This development is a perfect example of how we are approaching affordable housing development, always striving to bring services, housing and recreation closer to communities, while enhancing access to economic opportunities for our residents.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The Founders Garden project is the second of three major inner-city housing developments planned for 2025. The Leeuloop Precinct, offering 840 housing opportunities, has already gone out to tender. The tender for the Founders Garden development, to procure both a developer and social housing institution, was officially published today. 'For us, it is about more than just housing,' said Minister Simmers. 'It is about turning public land into opportunity, Infrastructure must promote spatial justice, empower communities, and create job and economic opportunities for all.' With this ambitious launch, the Western Cape Government is not just building homes, it is building a future where affordable, dignified urban living is within reach for thousands of Cape Town residents. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Maverick
‘Single biggest project' launched for Cape Town inner city housing development
The second of three mega social or affordable housing projects within the inner CBD of Cape Town, launched by the provincial government this year, will see 1,476 social housing residential units built — all within walking distance from the public transport interchange, as well as the famous Artscape Theatre. 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
IOL News
4 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Western Cape launches R2 billion project for 2,600 new homes in Cape Town
Over 2,600 affordable housing units will rise next to the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town's largest inner-city housing development, Founders Garden. Image: Unsplash In a bold move to tackle the housing shortage and transform urban living, the Western Cape Government has launched its largest inner-city housing development yet, promising over 2,600 residential units in the heart of Cape Town's CBD. Premier Alan Winde and Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, officially unveiled the Founders Garden development on Friday. With a projected value of more than R2 billion, the high-rise, mixed-use project will deliver 1,476 social housing units and 1,162 open-market units, bringing the total to over 2,630 new homes. 'This development is the largest public sector housing development in the CBD,' said Minister Simmers. 'I am extremely proud of how the Western Cape Government is accelerating the delivery of housing opportunities.' The project, situated next to the Artscape Theatre Centre and within walking distance of key public transport nodes and health services, is part of a broader provincial effort to bring affordable housing closer to the city's economic heart. The site will also feature an Early Childhood Development Centre and other public amenities, ensuring it becomes a fully integrated urban space. Premier Winde stressed the broader impact of the initiative. 'This development is a perfect example of how we are approaching affordable housing development, always striving to bring services, housing and recreation closer to communities, while enhancing access to economic opportunities for our residents.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The Founders Garden project is the second of three major inner-city housing developments planned for 2025. The Leeuloop Precinct, offering 840 housing opportunities, has already gone out to tender. The tender for the Founders Garden development, to procure both a developer and social housing institution, was officially published today. 'For us, it is about more than just housing,' said Minister Simmers. 'It is about turning public land into opportunity, Infrastructure must promote spatial justice, empower communities, and create job and economic opportunities for all.' With this ambitious launch, the Western Cape Government is not just building homes, it is building a future where affordable, dignified urban living is within reach for thousands of Cape Town residents. IOL News
The South African
03-06-2025
- General
- The South African
Betty's Bay residents welcome reduction in speed limit on R44
The Western Cape Provincial Government has announced the reduction of the 80km/h speed limit on a section of the R44 through Betty's Bay in the Overstrand Municipality in the Western Cape. The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure received a request to lower the speed limit to 60km/h on the commercial section of the roadway known as 'The Hub' and at the entrance to the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens to enhance safety. In response, an investigation was initiated to evaluate the situation. At a meeting with local councillors and stakeholders, Western Cape MEC for Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, said the investigation by the department had shown that a decrease in the speed limit on this section of the road was viable. 'I am pleased that my department and the Department of Mobility can work together to respond to the concerns of our communities. The new speed limit sign boards will be installed in due course.' However, Simmers warned that the posted speed limit was not a target or endorsed safe speed, but rather the maximum legal speed, and, as on all roads, it remained the responsibility of motorists to keep to the legal limit. Western Cape MEC for Mobility, Isaac Sileku, said the safety of all road users was a priority for the provincial government. 'By reducing the speed limit through this busy section, we are not only protecting lives but also supporting safer access for both residents and tourists. This is a perfect example of how Departments of Infrastructure and Mobility work hand,' said Sileku. Meanwhile, Simmers said as smaller towns in the Western Cape continue to expand, the road networks need to accommodate growing populations. 'Tourism also plays an important role in these local economies and contributes to job creation, and as the sector continues to grow, it is important to ensure that roads in the Western Cape are safe, accessible, and enable a growing economy that creates job opportunities for all.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Daily Maverick
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Key ingredients for putting together successful coalition governments
The 2021 municipal elections led to 16 hung councils in the Western Cape, all of which needed coalitions to govern. What does it take for a coalition to succeed? And what lessons can Western Cape municipalities bring to the national coalition discussion? Respect, a signed coalition agreement and humility are three of the key takeaways that parties in the Western Cape say are essential to a working coalition, and to the Government of National Unity (GNU). After the 2021 municipal elections, 16 of 30 Western Cape municipalities were run by a coalition government of sorts after parties failed to win outright majorities. The governance of these municipalities has fallen to a range of parties, from the Democratic Alliance (DA), African National Congress (ANC), Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus), the Patriotic Alliance (PA) to the Good party, and in some cases, local parties. Now, these parties sit at the centre of a GNU that seems to grind to a halt every time a controversial law or even the Budget is discussed. What does it take for a coalition to succeed or fail? 1. Respect Western Cape DA leader Tertuis Simmers told Daily Maverick that the party had been part of coalitions since 2006 after Helen Zille led a multiparty coalition in the City of Cape Town, to become mayor that year. 'There already we started learning valuable lessons in realising that as much as you might have the most number of seats in the coalition, you are still part of a coalition government, which means you need to respect the coalition partners who are in coalition with you,' he said. The party has since become one of the two leading parties in a highly contested province at the municipal level. After the 2021 local government elections, the party needed coalitions to govern municipalities such as Cederberg, Knysna, George and the Garden Route District Municipality. In response to this, ANC Western Cape provincial secretary Neville Delport said that 'we fully agree — respect and common ground are essential. But let's be honest: the DA hasn't always practised what it preaches. Too often, they approach coalitions as a means of control rather than cooperation, which is why so many of their partnerships have collapsed.' Fractures between parties have frequently emerged, and the DA has often been pointed at as being a big part of the problem, including in the GNU, as Daily Maverick reported during the Budget fracas. 2 A signed agreement It's as easy as a signed coalition agreement, says Simmers. 'The party has structured various coalition agreements which bind all parties,' he said. These included clauses in these agreements laying out how to deal with internal conflicts. 'We've seen the maturity of our agreements, the way we structure these agreements – other parties tend to want to coalesce on positions and power at all costs; the DA does the opposite,' Simmers said. The ANC's Delport agreed: 'For a coalition to thrive, there must be written agreements. These agreements must outline roles, responsibilities and shared principles. Political leadership must be engaged — not just local councillors, but leaders at the provincial and national level must also meet regularly to maintain alignment.' The Good party's Brett Herron took a different route. The party has worked with both the DA and the ANC to govern Theewaterskloof (the municipality governing towns such as Caledon, Greyton and Villiersdorp). Currently, the municipality is governed by a DA/Good/ Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party (SRWP) coalition. Herron told Daily Maverick that respect and a coalition agreement were one thing, but what also made a good coalition 'is an understanding that we are co-governing more than any written document will provide – so really it's about the characteristics of the leadership and their representatives in those councils.' He said Good found that without a leadership that was 'fully committed to the coalition' and that understood that it was co-governance rather than which party was bigger, then 'you're co-governing without that understanding, the coalition agreements you sign are actually worthless – so it's about an attitude rather than a document'. 3. Be humble 'A good coalition partner is one that is committed to the coalition and that is humble, and one that is honest, and one that understands that without the other coalition partners, you can have no power whatsoever,' said Freedom Front Plus leader Dr Corné Mulder. The party governs Oudtshoorn in what is termed a ' Government of Local Unity' alongside the ANC and regional parties. But what makes a bad coalition partner? According to Mulder, it is 'one that is arrogant – and one that does not listen to the other coalition partners'. He continued: '…and one that continues to behave as if they've got a majority on their own'. The ANC's Neville Delport told Daily Maverick that 'coalitions must never lose sight of why they exist — to serve the people. When coalitions become about positions, power or political games, they fail. When they focus on basic services, good governance and putting communities first, they can succeed.' The ANC governs several Western Cape municipalities such as Knysna, Cederberg and Laingsburg. 'Voters rejected you – so now you need a coalition' 'Well, the most important thing one needs to understand is that because of the election result… no party can govern on their own,' Mulder said. As a party, 'you have to place the bigger interests above your own particular party interest and you also have to understand that your manifesto did not get sufficient support to be the majority, and that goes for the other parties as well'. After that, emphasis must not be placed on a joint programme of action, but rather on leadership positions such as mayor and speaker. Simmers told Daily Maverick that based on the DA's experience, while various parties had their manifestos during campaigns, what was key was how these various manifestos 'find expression in your coalition government', which in local government came via the municipal Integrated Development Plan, which guided and informed a municipal budget. Why does the GNU keep failing? Mulder told Daily Maverick that the 'GNU started off about positions, because we were forced by the Constitution to form an executive within 14 days, so within 14 days there had to be an agreement to elect a president; he appointed the executive'. Mulder said this happened without parties fully agreeing on a new programme that everyone could buy into, and 'because of that, there are now all kinds of tensions and we just take it one step back'. According to Herron, the simple answer lay in the question, 'Where is the GNU lekgotla?' He explained: 'The GNU has different problems from what you have in local municipalities… different dynamics and different mandates. The problem in the GNU is that the Statement of Intent, which is the coalition agreement for this multiparty coalition that makes it the GNU, wasn't implemented.' Herron, who sits on the GNU clearing house as a representative of Good, said the Statement of Intent was similar to those signed at local levels. 'If you look at the Statement of Intent, it says that the parties will, immediately after signing the statement, have a lekgotla or a breakaway and work out the governing programme for the Government of National Unity – that never happened.' Herron said, 'The Cabinet was all appointed and as soon as they became Cabinet ministers, the Cabinet went off and had a lekgotla and decided on the medium-term development policy or framework.' He reminded: some GNU parties were part of the Cabinet, but others, such as Rise Mzansi, United Democratic Movement and Al Jama-ah, were not and occupied roles such as heads of parliamentary committees and deputy ministry positions. 'So in the GNU, part of the problem, and why we're seeing some of this turbulence, is that the parties never actually implemented the Statement of Intent as it was drafted, which was to do this breakaway and work out our our programme, our governing programme, and then once we had that agreement, we wouldn't even have had this Budget fallout.' Herron said that looking at some of the demands raised by the DA during the contested Budget process, 'they were policy reforms, they were not financial inputs… they were policy reforms like concessioning the ports and improving the electricity supply regime or opening it up.' DM
