City is in a crisis over development

I HAVE been sounding the alarm about unbridled property development in Cape Town for some time, as have others much better qualified than I.

The residents of Cape Town have been forced into a crisis more by developer-friendly policies and flawed planning practices than poor rainfall. Residents have halved their water consumption but resource-intensive construction continues unabated. Instead of further penalising your hard-pressed ratepayers who have done so much to conserve water, you should impose special levies on the developers, contractors and suppliers who have shown no ability to conserve such critical resources.

We demand the city immediately institute a moratorium on new property developments. It must take effect immediately and apply especially to those that use waterand energy-intensive materials and technologies.

Exceptions can be made for essential public works and affordable housing in which resource wastage and usage can be better controlled. Such work is labour- rather than capital-intensive and will help absorb the construction personnel who become available.

The moratorium would have the additional benefit of encouraging better use of existing housing stock in less fashionable areas. It would support your initiative to promote inclusive tourism with the likes of Airbnb. Indeed the city should prioritise upgrading and extension of such properties to help share the tourism cake more widely. Otherwise the benefits of tourism will continue to flow to a small clique of wealthy and connected individuals.