Economic Growth Directorate will ensure the efficient and effective management and distribution of public assets

As the Mayoral Committee Member for the revised Economic Growth Directorate, my goal is to use the tools at the City’s disposal to fulfil our mandate of boosting economic opportunity, and fostering sustainable job creation and skills development. One such tool is the City’s immovable property. Read more below:

Under my continued watch, the Directorate will ensure the efficient and effective management and distribution of these assets. And I’m proud to say that, in the first weeks of this new administration, we have hit the ground running.

Real estate underpins several elements of our socio-economic development, from jobs in sectors such as construction, through to generating revenue that allows for the ongoing delivery of municipal services.

As such, it gives me great pleasure to share details of several key transactions which were tabled at the last two Council sittings of the year.

• First township luxury hotel comes to Khayelitsha

The approval of the sale of a commercial site to Kwa Ace CC in Khayelitsha, paved the way for the launch of the first luxury hotel in the area.

Owned by Bulelani ‘Ace’ Skaap and his wife, Annette, The Spade Boutique Hotel and Spa has been rated as a four-star establishment. Skaap is a veteran of Cape Town’s hospitality scene, overseeing the success of the Kwa-Ace Lounge, Kwa-Ace Kitchen and Kwa-Ace Eparkin which have all become popular tourist attractions with local and international travellers.

Patrons to the live entertainment venue will also enjoy more secure parking following Council’s approval of the disposal of the spot’s adjacent property.

• Demand in Khayelitsha grows

The City’s Development and Facilitation unit of our Real Estate Services has recently been inundated with requests from the local property development sector to make the property in the vicinity of Khayelitsha’s Civic Precinct available for commercial development.

Council also gave the go-ahead to explore the in-principle decision to dispose of a prime site  on the Makabeni Road and Spine Road taxi routes, which will be open significant opportunities for local entrepreneurs.

• Additional investment in Atlantis

Similarly, the disposal of a site to the Atlantis Property Development (Pty) Ltd will expand on job opportunities for the local community. With the additional site, the business wishes to expand its current mixed use operations as the domestic and international boat-building industry recovers, and space on their existing property is constrained.

There is also a strong demand for short-term corporate storage space from companies in Atlantis. Currently, the manufacturer employs 25 people and proposes the creation of an additional 12 jobs as well as the erection of a factory of approximately 3000m² on the footprint. Investment onto the site is planned at approximately R7 million.

• Social care facility opportunity for Delft

The in-principle approval to dispose of this Delft property for social care use is in line with Priority 9 of the Organisational Transformation and Development Plan (OTDP), and will unlock an opportunity to develop a community or social care facility in an established residential suburb that will cater to the needs of the community.

• Bloekombos community cements its church

Council’s approval of the 10-year lease to the church that has been providing religious and community services to the community of Bloekombos from the property since 2007 is most welcome.

The lease provides the church’s owners with security of tenure and the opportunity to maintain and secure the property while conducting religious services, soup kitchens and other aspects of social care.

• Lansdowne site released for commercial and social care purposes

This approval brings to fruition the long-term vision of the Not-For-Profit local land trust. The 2,7ha site will be home to an educational and social care facility, while incorporating a commercial footprint to fit the needs of the local community.

These transactions are just a snapshot of over 40 reports presented and approved by Council in November and December 2021.

Big or small, we are determined that the property transactions that appear on the Council agenda for decision, should demonstrate determination to extract not only the best economic value from our property transactions, but also their prime social value.

Going forward, we will remain committed to fully exploring the opportunity to incorporate the deployment and utilisation of the City of Cape Town’s immovable property asset portfolio as a pillar of our economic recovery.

Source: City Of Cape Town