housing Archives - Voice of the Cape

Study exposes housing inequality for women in urban South Africa

Housing activists from Ndifuna Ukwazi have recently conducted an analysis highlighting the persistent challenges women face in accessing suitable housing in South Africa, despite the country's strong constitutional and legal protections. Speaking on VOC Breakfast on Tuesday, Executive Director and Attorney at Ndifuna Ukwazi, Mpho Raboeane explained, “We have a robust rights framework and legislation that should theoretically promote equality, including social and economic considerations. However, we wanted to investigate […]

26 November 2024

Local

Worcester residents have call for better protection for backyard dwellers

LOCAL Worcester residents have called on government to grant better protection to backyard dwellers. This was among the calls raised during public engagement around the Housing Consumer Protection Bill in the Cape Winelands recently. Some of the challenges that the Bill seeks to address include inadequate inspection, poorly built houses which put home owners under risk of structural defects and builders who are not registered with the National Home Builders […]

7 November 2022

Local

Want to apply for a RDP house? Don’t fall for this scam

The Western Cape human settlements department has warned residents about a housing scam being shared on social media. The con surfaced on several Facebook accounts. It asked citizens to either pay a deposit or holding fee to be approved for a house from government. The department said one victim had recently been fleeced of more than R2,000. “The latest victim the department is aware of was scammed of more than […]

21 September 2022

Local

Some tenants are six months behind on rent due to Covid-19

Some tenants are more than six months behind on their rent, with the residential rental market’s recovery after the hard lockdown in the second quarter of 2020 taking a knock. Many tenants were struggling to catch up on rent arrears despite being employed when the restriction on movement was lifted in May 2020, TPN Credit Bureau CEO Michelle Dickens said. “The rental relief provided by residential landlords in 2020 is […]

17 August 2021

Local

WC Govt slammed for teaching residents how to build ‘better’ shacks

In the face of a housing crisis in the Western Cape, the provincial government has been assisting residents to build and improve their informal structures. The Western Cape government recently launched phase two of their 'Better Living Challenge' project that aimed to help residents with self-build skills and knowledge. The Western Cape Department of Human Settlements was recently criticised by political parties and organisations that said it promoted staying in […]

14 August 2021

Local

Cape Town approves building plans worth R16 billion despite lockdown

The City of Cape Town has approved over 17 000 building plans worth R16 billion during the past year despite COVID-19 lockdowns. Mayoral spokesperson Lyndon Khan says a significant development, the Harbour Arch on the Foreshore, will create more than 13 000 jobs during the construction phase as part of the approved building plans. The project is expected to attract an injection of approximately R14 billion in the local economy, […]

12 April 2021

Local

St Helena Bay protests for housing flares up again

Another round of protests have broken out in the St Helena Bay area, after residents of Laingville expressed their dissatisfaction at the provision of housing in the area. Those passing through the area are warned to be vigilant. As reported by SABC News, residents are unhappy about the allocation of plots for the building of houses. The community are unhappy that most of the land in the area are owned […]

17 September 2020

Local

Additional month for public to comment on City of Cape Town’s housing allocation policy changes

Members of the public have an additional month to comment on the proposed changes to the City of Cape Town’s housing opportunities allocation policy (2015, the city said on Sunday. "The proposed changes aim to expedite certain decision-making processes and further enhance allocation fairness and transparency. The comment period, which opens on 22 June 2020, will close on 21 July 2020," the city said in a statement. The proposed changes […]

21 June 2020

Local

Govt releases hundreds of parcels of land for human settlement development

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has released hundreds of parcels of land as part of the government's commitment to land reform, redistribution and restitution. According to Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille, in October, last year, the Cabinet approved the release of 167 portions of land which the DPWI held, measuring 14 105 hectares. A further 684 hectares for human settlement development have since been approved for […]

23 February 2020

housing

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