WC committed to speedy delivery of housing
(“City slated for ’dodgy’ land deal”, Cape Times, May 12), refers.
Your article fails to highlight the facts. This matter has served before the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) in the Western Cape, where all the factual information was tabled, including the cost analysis. The purchase price is what the City offered in 2017.
Ironically, in 2017, when Mr Brett Herron was a Mayco member of transport and human settlements in the City of Cape Town, the City offered to purchase the property at R58 million exclusive of VAT based on highest (valuation) and best use methodology. The offer made by the City was rejected by the owner on July 25, 2017.
The City revised its original offer to purchase, increasing it from R58m to R64m based on input from the owner. The City communicated a revised offer of R64m to the seller in October 2017.
In April 2018 the City approached the provincial Department of Human Settlements (PDHS) to acquire the property as their procurement processes would take long and the land was required on an urgent basis.
The City further confirmed that they had also investigated the property for future Doornbach expansion. The bulk portion of the land, which is 17ha, is suitable for development.
On this basis, the provincial department agreed to buy the land as per the City’s request.
The Housing Development Agency (HDA) on behalf of PDHS, negotiated a final purchase price of R64.6m which was accepted by the seller. This is the same amount that the City of Cape Town was prepared to pay in 2017.
For Mr Herron to claim that the purchase price is “grossly inflated,” which it is not, smacks of irony and hypocrisy, as he was part of the collective in the City when this decision was taken.
Further to this, the court matter where the Racing Park Owners Association (RPOA) challenged the validity of the sale on the basis that the owner did not have consent from the association to sell the property, was dismissed with cost.
This once again shows the opportunistic nature of Mr Herron as he is seeking relevance by pointing to a matter that’s been dealt with.
The department submitted two rezoning applications which were subsequently approved.
The RPOA appealed both decisions. The applications served before the City’s planning appeals committee in March and April 2021.
As soon as the current appeal that was lodged by the RPOA is concluded, we’ll commence with construction on these sites.
We’re confident the City of Cape Town’s appeals committee’s outcome will be favourable.
We will construct the 3-storey transitional residential units (TRUs) in the transitional residential area (TRA).
This will consist of 1 500 for Dunoon. We also want to assure our residents that had it not been for this appeal, these TRU housing opportunities would’ve been created.
As the Western Cape government, we remain committed to accelerating human settlement delivery, utilising technology, while promoting social inclusion through the development of integrated, resilient, safe and sustainable human settlements in an open society.
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