Today, 2 June 2021, the City of Cape Town’s Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato, Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi, and other dignitaries visited the City’s R170 million flagship Dido Valley housing project in the Simon’s Town area. This is an important housing and restitution project, which will see claimants and beneficiaries return to their land and become first-time homeowners. Read more below:

‘The R170 million project entails the construction of 600 subsidised houses. Not only will it empower beneficiaries as first-time homeowners, but it will also unite a community that was severed by apartheid policies. This is an example of redress and restitution in action and of our commitment to building a better future for those who bore the brunt of those policies. This project also enables and unlocks well-located, affordable housing in this area,’ said Mayor Plato.

‘One contractor is currently active on site with 12 units at double-storey height and a further 21 foundations are reaching completion. A second contractor is expected to begin work on site by July 2021. Units will be handed over to beneficiaries in batches, as and when they become practically complete. The first batch of 12 units is expected to be handed over during July 2021, with units rolling out at an expected rate of 15 to 20 units per month thereafter.

‘I am pleased to see the progress that has been made with this affordable housing project. Work is being done here which takes the Luyolo land claimants and Redhill beneficiaries closer to the day when they will receive the keys to their own homes. I look forward to returning to the site for those special days.

‘Work on site is progressing well and is expected to be completed in the latter part of 2023, if all goes according to plan. I give thanks to our communities, City teams and project steering committees for the hard work and dedication to get this complex project off the ground and moving forward,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi.

The Luyolo land claimant beneficiaries were forcibly removed from Simon’s Town in the mid-1960s under the apartheid Group Areas Act. These beneficiaries were moved to Gugulethu.

This Breaking New Ground subsidy project also includes beneficiaries from the Red Hill informal settlement, which is located between Simon’s Town and Scarborough. The majority of the beneficiaries come from this informal settlement.

The project has a combined support organisation representing the two groups of beneficiaries from Redhill and Luyolo respectively. The development of top structures is being done via a People’s Housing Programme process, in terms of which the beneficiary communities appoint and manage their own contractors.

The Land Claims Commission is responsible for the restitution component of the project which is 100 units. The City is responsible for allocating the remaining 500 units, in line with the City’s Housing Allocation Policy and Housing Needs Register.

Source: City Of Cape Town