By Odwa Bafana Mkentane
Civil society groups have lodged an appeal against the City of Cape Town’s approval for US technology company Equinix to build a hyperscale data centre at King Air Industria. The Housing Assembly and Foxglove argue that the development could put additional pressure on the city’s water and electricity resources while raising concerns about the protection of surrounding communities’ constitutional rights.
The Housing Assembly, Foxglove, Open Secrets, Research + Action and Planetary AI Collective, with legal analysis by Open Secrets and the Legal Resources Centre, have submitted their joint report to the South African Human Rights Commission on the human rights impacts of the country’s data centre boom.
Speaking to VOC News, Kashifa Achmat, Housing Assembly representative, said she questioned the approval and sale of land for data centres, raising concerns about lack of transparency, proper regulation, and the pressure these developments could place on already limited water and electricity resources.
“It seems like the authorities think communities are not paying attention. We have been through Day Zero, load shedding and high electricity costs. People know what it is like to stand in long queues, to have no electricity and to struggle with basic resources. Yet data centres are being approved without proper regulations. If one person can identify problems with this approval, why are others turning a blind eye? We are concerned about how the tribunal has approved the sale of land and buildings in Cape Town,” said Achmat.
Achmat added that residents are already being told to save water and electricity because these resources are becoming more expensive and limited.
“What happens if we experience another Day Zero? Will the poor communities be expected to make sacrifices while businesses are protected? We are also concerned about the impact on communities, including noise and possible health effects. Many residents already live with the noise from the airport. Adding data centres could create even more noise and disruption. Developers are talking about job opportunities, but we want to know exactly what jobs will be created and who will benefit. Many people in our communities are unemployed, so we need clear information rather than promises,” Achmat said.
She added that the communities should be informed before construction begins.
“We need to know how much water and electricity the data centre will use, what fuel it will use and what impact it will have on surrounding communities. We are also concerned because there are no clear regulations for data centres. This is a new development for many communities, and people need to understand what data centres are, what they do and what kind of information they store. We have engaged with communities in Bishop Lavis and Barcelona, but many residents do not even know what is happening because there was no proper community consultation,” she said.
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