In a major breakthrough for urban redress, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has officially handed over the flagship Salt River Market site to developers, triggering the construction of 970 inner-city affordable housing units.
The handover marks the launch of a broader, historic push by the City of Cape Town to build more than 3,000 affordable homes across four central urban sites this year alone. Under the Mayoral Priority Programme, municipal land is being aggressively released to dismantle the spatial legacy of apartheid and bring working-class families back into well-located economic hubs.
The landmark development is being driven through an innovative public-private partnership with non-profit developer Communicare. To make the project financially viable, the City contributed the land at a 90% discount, effectively providing a R95 million subsidy.
The Salt River Market precinct will deliver a mix of 300 social housing rental units spanning seven storeys, and 670 affordable market units across nine storeys. Crucially, the development aims to cater to a broad economic demographic.
Artist’s render of the concept development.
Rentals will range from R700 to R10,000 per month, targeted at households with a monthly income of up to R34,400. Beyond brick and mortar, the development has been designed to foster a vibrant public realm.
Mark van Wyk, Chairperson of Communicare, confirmed that the ground floor will feature retail spaces, a public piazza, a day care centre, and a sports field. Furthermore, the project commits to heritage preservation. The historic Salt River Hall will be fully restored, and space has been explicitly reserved for four long-standing fresh produce traders to continue operating, preserving the site’s generational identity.
The handover follows years of complex social facilitation and legal processes to resolve unlawful occupation at the site. This culminated last month in the relocation of 70 informal households to upgraded, formal accommodation in the Maitland area, alongside the successful resolution of commercial trader claims.
Speaking at the ceremonial handover, Mayor Hill-Lewis emphasized that this is only the beginning of a massive structural shift for the metro. He said that these are the visible results of an accelerated land release programme taking shape, creating thousands of affordable housing opportunities for Cape Town families in the CBD and other well-located parts of the city.
He added that this is how the City is making underused public assets work for Capetonians, with a broader land release pipeline of over 12,000 affordable housing units.
Salt River Market is one of four inner-city locations where construction helmets will hit the ground this year, collectively yielding 1,500 dedicated social housing rental apartments. The other developments slated for immediate action are located at Newmarket Street on the Foreshore, Pickwick Street in Salt River, and the Fruit & Veg site in Zonnebloem, CBD.
Carl Pophaim, Mayco member for Human Settlements, reiterated that the ultimate goal is to provide dignified, accessible brick-and-mortar homes close to jobs and transport links. With municipal land set to yield 5,000 units already released during the current term of office, Cape Town’s skyline is about to undergo its most socially transformative face-lift in decades.
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