Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis defended the City’s affordable housing record on 4 November 2026, after reports questioned the pace of delivery in well-located inner-city areas including the CBD, Salt River, Woodstock, Observatory, and Sea Point. The City has released 14 sites for affordable housing, with a combined potential yield of about 7,000 residential units, including 4,000 affordable and 2,500 social housing units, according to a comprehensive report filed with the Constitutional Court on 4 October 2026.
Hill-Lewis insisted that unlocking more supply hinged on easing construction red tape and releasing land, stating, “There is only one sustainable solution to getting more affordable accommodation onto the market. And that is by making it easier to build things.” He added, “You cannot both be in favour of more affordable housing and opposed to building more things. Those two are mutually exclusive positions.”
The City’s pipeline reportedly includes another 39 sites, with a potential yield of roughly 40,000 units, including 21,000 affordable and 1,500 social housing units, some located within the Cape Town central business district. The City also said approximately 4,000 of these units are entering construction in the CBD in 2026.
Despite these figures, independent reports have questioned whether this translates into actual housing completed and occupied. GroundUp reported on 14 October 2026 that none of the City-approved affordable housing projects in the CBD, Salt River, Woodstock, Observatory, or Sea Point since 2017 had been completed, aside from a 39-unit transitional facility in Salt River opened in 2019 for relocated families.
The Constitutional Court’s 2 July 2026 ruling in the Tafelberg case found that both the Western Cape government and the City had failed to meet their constitutional obligations to provide social and affordable housing in well-located parts of Cape Town. The court ordered specific improvements to address spatial apartheid legacies through better access to affordable housing in areas with access to jobs, transport, and services.
Responding in a report to the Western Cape High Court, the City asserted it was acting within the legislative and policy measures reasonably and lawfully available to meet its mandates. Hill-Lewis emphasised, “There is no doubt on the City’s part that it is not in breach of the obligations referred to in paragraph 3 of the order.”
However, the City also highlighted significant challenges, including a 41% cut in national affordable housing grant funding since 2017, with no project funding awarded in the last five years despite qualifying developments. This funding shortfall has constrained progress despite land releases and planning.
Advocates and opposition parties argue that the City’s release of sites and creation of a housing pipeline have yet to materialise into meaningful relief for low-income residents in high-demand locations. The stalled delivery has wider implications for Cape Town’s spatial inequality and access to economic opportunities for many Cape Flats communities.
The debate over Cape Town’s affordable housing record is central to the 2026 local elections, with officials defending progress on paper while critics call for accelerated implementation and cutting bureaucratic delays. The City’s next steps, particularly speeding up construction and securing funding, will be critical in bridging the gap between plans and delivery.
Cape Flats News will continue to monitor the rollout of affordable housing projects and report on community impact as developments unfold.