More than 300 activists occupied the grounds, demanding the urgent housing needs of the many be prioritised over the enjoyment of the few. Picture: Tracey Adams / ANA More than 300 activists occupied the grounds, demanding the urgent housing needs of the many be prioritised over the enjoyment of the few. Picture: Tracey Adams / ANA
Cape Town – The City has received more than 600 comments during the public participation process for the renewal of the Rondebosch Golf Club lease.
On Saturday, more than 300 activists from across Cape Town, including Woodstock, Sea Point, the Bo-Kaap and Elsies River peacefully occupied the golf course, calling on the City to stop subsidising the rich by renting out prime state land at the amount of R1 058 per year when the
housing crisis in Cape Town continued to grow.
The City has given interested parties until March 9 to submit comments or objections to plans to renew the lease of 45.99 hectares of public land for the next decade.
Karen Hendricks of Reclaim the City said public land should be
used to address the city’s apartheid legacy.
“These leases should be rethought so well-suited and well-located land can be made available for housing. The land is 45.99ha, the size of
roughly 45 rugby fields or a small suburb.
"This means the Rondebosch Golf Club will pay R88.17 per month in total or R1.92 per hectare per month while poor and working-class people pay thousands for backyard shacks on the outskirts of the city,” Hendricks said.
“How is it that an exclusionary sports club is paying less per year than someone living in Khayelitsha can spend in one month just on travel commuting to the inner city for work?” she asked.
“At the same time, the unlimited membership of the golf club costs R17 000 per year,” Hendricks said.
Mayco member for community services and health, Zahid Badroodien said the City was assessing each golf course through the Recreation and Parks Department on its individual merits, challenges and future potential.
Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi, said the City was exploring all workable options for affordable housing.
“The City looks at this holistically and against the full context of Cape Town; the budget and economic conditions of South Africa; community-driven inputs; the vast legislative environment including geotechnical and policy considerations.
“The City is not driven by narrow agendas. All workable options are being explored to see how to increase the affordable accommodation stock in Cape Town,” he said.