Closed for 2024 – Reopening 6 Jan 2025
We are closed for 2024 and will reopen on 6 January 2025.
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Comment on the Minister of Human Settlements Cabinet Reshuffle of 3 December 2024
4 December 2024 / For immediate release Ndifuna Ukwazi is deeply disappointed by President Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle last night. The appointment of Minister Simelane to the Human Settlements portfolio disrupts ongoing efforts to address South Africa’s housing crisis and undermines trust in government leadership. Minister Simelane faces unresolved corruption allegations. Her appointment to a struggling…
Comment on the Streets By-Law Amendment – November 2024
Ndifuna Ukwazi calls on the City of Cape Town to repeal provisions that criminalise homelessness and adopt a progressive, human-rights-based approach. Instead of punitive measures, the City must prioritise affordable housing, healthcare, and economic inclusion.
CITY’S AMENDMENTS TO THE STREETS BY-LAW: A STEP BACKWARDS IN ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS
PRESS RELEASE: 28 November 2024 Ndifuna Ukwazi strongly condemns the City of Cape Town’s proposed amendments to the Streets, Public Places, and Prevention of Noise Nuisances By-law, 2007 (“Streets By-law”). While minor revisions have been made, the amendment retains punitive measures that criminalise homelessness, perpetuating a harmful and unconstitutional approach to one of Cape Town’s…
NDIFUNA UKWAZI OBJECTS TO BREE STREET MICRO-APARTMENTS IN CAPE TOWN CBD
PRESS STATEMENT 31 October 2024 Yesterday, 30 October 2024, Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU) lodged an objection to the proposed redevelopment of a 40-storey mixed-use building in the Cape Town Central Business District, which includes 442 micro-apartments. The objection highlights significant concerns regarding the impact of these small-sized units on the city’s housing landscape, particularly their potential…
Objection to Bree Street Development – October 2024
OBJECTION TO ERF 1512 AND 177009, 17 AND 15 BREE STREET, CAPE TOWN CITY CENTRE
Inclusionary Housing – Racial Targeting – August 2024
This working note argues that inclusionary housing should be racially targeted to curb continued spatial segregation and racial inequality. It argues that the Constitution and legislation not only allows for racial targeting as a means to redress the legacy of racial segregation, but actually encourages it…
A Peoples Guide to Housing – September 2024
This is a guide about the different types of housing and housing programmes that exist in South Africa. It explains what the different types are, what the benefits and problems of each housing programme are, and provides examples of housing projects where each type of housing was developed.
Learning Exchange – October 2024
Leveraging Democratic Participation and the 2026 Local Election to Advance Equitable Access to Land and Housing 29 October 2024 This past week, Ndifuna Ukwazi had the privilege of hosting a Regional Learning Exchange, focusing on leveraging democratic participation and the upcoming 2026 local elections to advance equitable access to land and housing. The exchange brought…
Ndifuna Ukwazi welcomes recent progress on the redevelopment of the Mowbray Golf Course
Press Release 2 October 2024 On Monday 1 October 2024, the City of Cape Town announced that the mayoral committee had given its approval to conduct public participation for the redevelopment of the Mowbray Golf Course. The City has stated that it intends to create a mixed-use, mixed-income development at Mowbray Golf Course including affordable…
Cissie Gool House – August 2024
Joint Statement – Reclaim the City & Ndifuna Ukwazi Immediate Release 28 August 2024 Cissie Gool House proposed eviction – A convenient excuse for CoCT’s lack of well-located affordable housing? Reclaim the City and Ndifuna Ukwazi are both extremely concerned about the City of Cape Town’s ongoing reluctance to meaningfully engage with the occupiers of…
OCCUPIERS LEFT OUT IN THE RAIN AFTER ILLEGAL & VIOLENT EVICTION BY PRASA, RESULTING IN THE STABBING OF AN ELDERLY MAN
Press Release: 27 August 2024 Ndifuna Ukwazi has urgently sought a high court interdict against PRASA following the illegal eviction on 19 and 22 August of occupiers who had been living in informal structures and tents on Transnet-owned land for over 20 years. PRASA Protection Services and other security officers demolished homes, confiscated building materials…
CALLS ON THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN TO RETRACT LETTERS OF INTENTION TO SELL THE LONG-STANDING FAMILY HOME OF A WORKING CLASS FAMILY IN ATHLONE
7 August 2024 Press Release: For Immediate Release NDIFUNA UKWAZI CALLS ON THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN TO RETRACT LETTERS OF INTENTION TO SELL THE LONG-STANDING FAMILY HOME OF A WORKING CLASS FAMILY IN ATHLONE Mrs Jamielah Levy’s family has been living in Tancred Street, Athlone for the past 70 years. On 15 May 2024,…
Landmark Tafelberg Court Case is heading to the Constitutional Court
The Constitutional Court has issued directions confirming that it will hear Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU) and Reclaim the City’s (RTC) appeal against the Supreme Court of Appeal’s (SCA) judgment and order in the Tafelberg matter. The matter will be heard simultaneously with the National Minister of Human Settlements related appeal. The date for the hearing is…
Call for Support: Cape Town Storm Relief
10 July 2024 Please note: The Ndifuna Ukwazi office will be closed on Thursday 11 July due to the weather warning. We will be working remotely and hope to re-open our offices on Friday 12 July. Please email about dropping off donations then. Ndifuna Ukwazi is assisting the community of Greenpoint Phase 3 in…
Reclaim the City and Ndifuna Ukwazi appeal to ConCourt while Mother City opens at Encounters Film Festival
20 June 2024 Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU) and Reclaim the City (RTC) have filed for leave to appeal to the Constitutional Court against the recent judgment by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in the Tafelberg Case. The sale of the Tafelberg property in 2015 triggered massive outcry and brought to the fore the debate on…
Election Manifestos and Spatial Injustice 2024
A very short guide to election parties and their views on spatial injustice. Full manifestos can be found on the political party’s website or social media.
LAND AND HOUSING SCHOOL 2024
Join us at the Land and Housing School 2024 Starting in July, our annual Land & Housing School brings together individuals from diverse communities and social movements for an enriching four-month journey. Together, we’ll delve into crucial topics identified by activists and concerned citizens like you, addressing the pressing challenges we face in advocating for…
Land4Peoplenot4Parking
This report is part of the #Land4PeopleNot4Parking campaign. The campaign is coordinated by Reclaim the City, Housing Assembly, Indibano Yabahlali, COVID-19 and Ndifuna Ukwazi. This work builds on years of dedicated work by leaders and activists of these and other land and housing movements from Cape Town and beyond.
Land4PeopleNOT4Parking: Campaign
Joint Press Release: COVID-19, Housing Assembly, Indibano Yabahlali, Ndifuna Ukwazi, and Reclaim the City Date: 24 April 2024 Images: [link to High Res Images: https://jmp.sh/2eltY3e4] Land4PeopleNot4Parking #Land4PeopleNot4Parking #DesegregateCT How can the parking of government cars for part of the day be more important than providing roofs over people’s heads? Could the storage of immobile government…
Update on King David Mowbray Golf Course Lease
Last week, the City of Cape Town extended the King David Mowbray Golf Club’s lease for another 10 years. However, there is now a 2-year cancellation clause so that the lease can be ended early to enable this high-potential piece of public land to be turned into a mixed-income, mixed-use development. The cancellation clause, and…
Legal Opinion on Inclusionary Housing “In-Lieu” Payments
The legal opinion, which has just been published by the two organisations (Ndifuna Ukwazi and DAG), determines that Inclusionary Housing in-lieu fees do not qualify as a tax in a legal sense.In his analysis, Budlender SC notes that the “In-Lieu” payment, though resembling a tax, is designed to generate revenue for Inclusionary Housing rather than…
Bromwell Street Case heads to Constitutional Court in challenge to the constitutionality of the City of Cape Town’s response to emergency housing needs
PRESS STATEMENT: 22 February 2024 The Constitutional Court will hear the Bromwell Street matter on Tuesday, 27th February 2024, marking a critical juncture in the fight for housing justice and tenant rights. At the heart of the case lies the constitutionality of the City of Cape Town’s housing programme and its actions in responding to…
Rest in Peace: Alan Roberts
We mourn the loss of our trustee, Mr Alan Roberts who succumbed to COVID complications. Alan was a distinguished trade unionist, activist and freedom fighter during Apartheid. In 1994, Alan served as an advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs and subsequently worked as the Western Cape Land Claims Commissioner for three years.…
NDIFUNA UKWAZI SEEKS INTERVENTION IN LANDMARK DISTRICT SIX CASE TO ADVOCATE FOR RACIAL REDRESS AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Press Release 20 February 2024 Yesterday, 19 February 2024, Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU) applied to the Western Cape High Court to intervene as amicus curiae (friend of the court) in a significant case concerning the historic District Six neighbourhood in Cape Town. The main application, launched by six families residing in Searle Street, District Six, on…
Premiere Winde Whitewashes Tafelberg Site
16 February 2024 Premiere Winde Whitewashes Tafelberg Site The Western Cape Government is attempting to whitewash the years of struggle for the site known as Tafelberg by now referring to it as 353 on Main Road, Sea Point On 8 February 2024, the Province posted notices on the site and on their website inviting any…
SINGABALAPHA LAUNCHES HIGH COURT REVIEW OF THEIR EVICTION FROM OBSERVATORY
Press Release 31 January 2024 Ndifuna Ukwazi, on behalf of Singabalapha Informal Settlement, has launched an application in the Western Cape High Court to review the City of Cape Town’s decision to rely on the Emergency Housing Programme (EHP) in respect of their eviction and relocation to the periphery of the city. Singabalapha is located…
REMINDER: LESS THAN 1 WEEK TO GO BEFORE URBAN LAND JUSTICE GATHERING
15 September 2023 The Urban Land Justice Gathering will take place from Thursday 21 September to Saturday 22 September at the District Six Homecoming Centre. This event takes place in partnership with Ndifuna Ukwazi, SERI-SA, PLAAS, and the District Six Museum. This event will see the launch of the People’s Land Map – directly before…
Ndifuna Ukwazi welcomes the release of the Pickwick site in Salt River.
27 October 2023 Ndifuna Ukwazi wholeheartedly welcomes the release of the Pickwick site in Salt River for the development of mixed-income housing, as announced by the City of Cape Town during the council meeting on the 26th of October 2023. The Pickwick site is extremely well-located, and will deliver roughly 1,800 homes, including 840 social…
Vacancy: Attorney – Deadline for Applications 24 January 2024* CORRECTION – FRIDAY 27 JANUARY
Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU) is an activist organization and law center that promotes the realization of constitutional rights and social justice through providing organizing, research and legal support and representation to poor and working class people, communities and social movements. We work to advance urban land justice in Cape Town through the protection and expansion of…
NU December Auction
BID FOR A PIECE OF URBAN LAND JUSTICE HISTORY! AN NU DECEMBER FUNDRAISER THIS WEEKEND ONLY Have your own A3 Photograph which documents some of the work done by NU and RTC over the last few years. All photos taken by our very own Zacharia Mashele. Bids can be made directly on Instagram in…
NDIFUNA UKWAZI WELCOMES HALTING OF THE AUCTION OF MAYNARD STREET HOMES
PRESS STATEMENT 17 November 2023 Today, the City of Cape Town informed the families residing at city-owned rental housing on Maynard Street, Gardens that it will no longer be proceeding with the looming auction of their homes on 23 November 2023. This comes after a public out-cry and concern for dwindling public housing in the…
NDIFUNA UKWAZI’S COMMENT ON THE INDEPENDENT POLICE INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTORATE (IPID) AMENDMENT BILL, 2023 [B21-2023]
NDIFUNA UKWAZI’S COMMENT ON THE INDEPENDENT POLICE INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTORATE (IPID) AMENDMENT BILL, 2023 [B21-2023] Ndifuna Ukwazi is a non-profit activist organisation and law centre that combines research, organising and litigation in campaigns to advance urban land justice in Cape Town. Our primary mission is to expand and protect access to affordable housing and build an…
The People’s Land Map
Press Release (re-issue of statement 4 September 2023) 21 September 2023 Do the People have a right to access information on Public Land? The People’s Land Map Launch takes place Friday 22 September In 2016 NU asked the question, how much vacant and underutilised public land is really available in the City of Cape Town…
National Campaign Demands State Land Disposal of President Ramaphosa
Joint Statement – 23 August 2023 National Campaign Demands State Land Disposal of President Ramaphosa On 23 August 2023, land and housing movements in Cape Town will march towards the President’s house in Rondebosch while those in Johannesburg will march the Sandton Convention Centre demanding urgent action in the form of State Land Disposal, to…
President, Ministers challenged to act on land reform and redistribution
Press Release 23 August President, Ministers challenged to act on land reform and redistribution Today, 8 social movements from across South Africa will submit requests to President Cyril Ramaphosa to donate 32 pieces of vacant and underutilised public land to communities living with insecure tenure by making use of the State Land Disposal Act. There…
City changes tune toward well-located affordable housing but doesn’t change progress
Press Release 18 July 2023 City changes tune toward well-located affordable housing but doesn’t change progress On 18 July 2017 the City of Cape Town announced the proposed development of social housing on 11 parcels of public land in Woodstock, Salt River and the inner city. Since then, Ndifuna Ukwazi and Reclaim the…
SUBMISSION ON THE RELEASE OF WELL-LOCATED STATE OWNED LAND IN THE CAPE TOWN METROPOLITAN AREA FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSING AND MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT: RESPONSE TO COVID-19 AND LONGER TERM URBAN TRANSFORMATION.
SUBMISSION ON THE RELEASE OF WELL-LOCATED STATE OWNED LAND IN THE CAPE TOWN METROPOLITAN AREA FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSING AND MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT- RESPONSE TO COVID-19 AND LONGER TERM URBAN TRANSFORMATION.
Woodstock Family Launches Constitutional Challenge to issuing of Emergency Housing Kits by City of Cape Town
Press Release 13 June 2023 On behalf of a Woodstock family, Ndifuna Ukwazi Law Centre has launched a constitutional challenge* to the issuing of emergency housing kits by the City of Cape Town. The family face eviction from their home of 25 years by the Woodstock Hub (Pty) Ltd, who seeks to develop the building.…
Vacancy: Community Organiser Intern
This is a short-term limited appointment to start immediately, ending 31 December 2023 We are looking for a passionate, committed individual with strong organising, mobilising and community campaign skills to join Ndifuna Ukwazi’s team as a “Community Organiser Intern” with immediate effect. Key responsibilities include the following: Building meaningful relationships of trust with partners and…
Cape Town Magistrate Court grants the Willow Arts Collective eviction to Safe Spaces
Press Statement 22 May 2023 On Friday morning, 19 May, Magistrate Reaz Khan granted an eviction against the Willow Arts Collective (WAC), a community living on the former site of the South African National Circus since 2016. The property is located in Observatory, a well located and sought-after area of Cape Town. In 2019, the…
NU Welcomes the Release of City Land along the Buitengracht Corridor for Affordable Housing
Press Statement 4 May 2023 NU Welcomes the Release of City Land along the Buitengracht Corridor for Affordable Housing On 6 April 2023, the City of Cape Town applied for the rezoning, consolidation and subdivision of one site along the Buitengracht Corridor (Cape Town CBD) for the future release and development of mixed-income housing.…
NU and SERI call for the abandonment of the PIE amendment proposals by the DA
Press Release: 2 May 2023 NU and SERI call for the abandonment of the PIE amendment proposals by the DA Democratic Alliance MP, Ms Emma Powell, submitted the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from Unlawful Occupation of Land Amendment Bill 2023 to Parliament. The Bill has been referred to the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements by…
Ndifuna Ukwazi offers Political and Legal education related to Housing and Evictions in Cape Town
Ndifuna Ukwazi invites any member of the public to join its free 3-month Advice Assembly programme at the Bertha House in Mowbray. Advice Assembly is a weekly community education programme designed to help participants understand the laws that govern eviction in South Africa, equipping them with the legal and political knowledge to tackle unfair practices…
Ndifuna Ukwazi Housing Clinic
The NU Housing Clinic works on a first-come first-serve basis to accommodate walk-ins, but encourages interested parties to make an appointment through political organiser and paralegal Ntombi Sambu. Call or Whatsapp: 0623529372 Email: ntombi@nu.org.za Address: 18 Roland Street, Cape Town The Clinic operates on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s only, excluding public holidays. It does not charge for…
Military land for homes not weapons!
READ PDF PRESS STATEMENT HERE: 29 Mar 2023 Military Land Press statement Military land for homes not weapons! Weak intergovernmental collaboration and a lack of urgency are entrenching the housing crisis. The national government owns enough vacant and underutilised land in Cape Town to deliver hundreds of thousands of homes and materially reduce the housing…
The City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement acts in contempt of court order
The City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement acts in contempt of court order-2 The City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement acts in contempt of court order IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 29 March 2023 This morning Law Enforcement harassed & burned the money that belonged to the unhoused community in District 6, this is contempt of a court…
Ndifuna Ukwazi Housing Clinic – Closed 14 and 15 March
The Ndifuna Ukwazi Housing Clinic will not be open for Walk-in Consults on Tuesday 14 March and Wednesday 15 March as we are working on our annual strategy. Please contact Ntombi Sambu to make an appointment or to send an enquiry related to a housing or eviction matter you are facing, in Cape Town: Whatsapp:+27…
Western Cape spatial challenges: Supreme Court of Appeal reserves judgment in Tafelberg matter
Earlier today, the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town have gone to the Supreme Court of Appeal to overturn the High Court judgment on the Tafelberg housing site matter. Our next guest says that the officials have not acted with urgency after the feasibility studies showed that social housing can be developed…
NU Response to City of Cape Town issuing Eviction notices to people Experiencing Homelessness
Press Release 20 February 2023 (Press Statement by the City of Cape Town ) We are relieved that the City of Cape Town has finally accepted its constitutional duty not to illegally evict unlawful occupiers of public land. It took several high court cases for it to realise that there is indignity in shamelessly depriving…
WC Govt and City of Cape Town appeal High Court order compelling them to redress Spatial Apartheid
Press Release 16 February 2023 On Monday 20 February 2023, the Tafelberg matter will be heard at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. In 2017, the case made headlines when it reversed the sale of public land in Sea Point, formerly the Tafelberg Remedial School, to a private company for R135 million. Activist groups…
Bromwell Street judgment – what’s next?
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) handed down judgment in the Bromwell Matter, and orders City of Cape Town to provide Bromwell families with emergency accommodation in a location as close as possible by May 2023, and upholds their Appeal. Lead attorney in the matter Disha Govender speaks to HeartFM.
The risk of Cape Town growing too quickly due to semigration
Cape Town is proving to be an extremely popular destination for fellow South Africans to be resettling in, and Lester Kiewit discusses whether there is a risk that the population growth will be too rapid. His guests are urban policy researcher Nick Budlender and City of Cape Town Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for…
Supreme Court of Appeal orders City of Cape Town to provide Bromwell families with emergency accommodation in a location as close as possible by May 2023, and upholds their Appeal
8 February 2023 The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) handed down judgment in the Bromwell Matter on 6 February 2023. The matter was heard on 14 November 2022. Judge Mabindla-Boqwana of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), with the full bench concurring, set aside the High Court order in the Bromwell Street Matter which declared…
Bulelani Qolani to launch damages claim
“Housing advocacy group Ndifuna Ukwazi assists Bulelani Qolani to lodge damages claim against the City of Cape Town.” Voice of the Cape reports
Final Newsletter of 2022
Dear *|FNAME|* A year of progress! 2022 has been an incredible year of progress in housing and land rights. After years of advocacy, political & protest actions and relentless pressure, we are starting to see a shifting tide in Cape Town.First and foremost, 2022 marks the year where five parcels of land in the inner…
Objecting to Bellville Bowls Green and Golf Club Lease Renewal
Does the need for sporting facilities outweigh the need for well-located affordable housing? NU objects to Bellville Bowls Green and Golf Club lease renewal. Press Release: 29 November 2022 Public participation for the lease renewal of City of Cape Town land to the Bellville Bowls Green and the Bellville Golf Club closed yesterday. Ndifuna Ukwazi…
Cissie Gool House Raid – 11 November 2022
Joint Ndifuna Ukwazi and Reclaim the City Statement 11 November 2022 Cissie Gool House Raid Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU) can confirm the raid and arrests that took place at Cissie Gool House on the morning of 11 November 2022. Cissie Gool House is home to more than 1000 people. This residence is one of the three…
World Diabetes Day and the Bromwell Street Matter – 14 November
11 November 2022 World Diabetes Day and the Bromwell Street Matter – 14 November With estimated 369 000 households awaiting secure and dignified housing in Cape Town, often the debate is focused on delivery, transport density etc. The knock on impact of insecure housing and tenure is clearly visible in the health of the families…
Where must people go? Bromwell Street Matter at SCA
Press Statement: 9 November 2022 Where must we go? Bromwell Street matter to be heard at the Supreme Court of Appeal – Monday 14 November 2022 In November 2021, the Bromwell Street residents, represented by Ndifuna Ukwazi Law Centre won a landmark judgment against the City of Cape Town – which declared that the City’s emergency housing…
Regulating the Private Sector
10 November 2022 “Regulating the Private Sector: Case Studies in Inclusionary Housing Developments in Cape Town”, is a report which documents and draws out learnings from NU’s five-year experience of advocating for inclusionary housing through the Municipal Planning Tribunal in the City of Cape Town from early 2017 through to August 2022. The…
City once again delays the development of affordable housing on the Green Point Bowling Green
PRESS STATEMENT: 03 November 2022 The City of Cape Town has repeatedly stated its commitment to using the exceptionally well-located Green Point Bowling Green as a site for affordable and mixed-income housing. Despite this, the City is once again leasing the site out for roughly R3,000 per year for exclusive uses that provide no benefit…
Wrongfully Evicted Residents Compensated by City of Cape Town
Sydney Street Residents Compensated after Wrongful Eviction by City of Cape Town Press Release: 14 October 2022 46 people living in Sydney Street, District 6, have finally received compensation for the wrongful eviction and impoundment of personal belongings carried out by the City of Cape Town last year. In September 2021, residents of Sydney Street,…
A New Approach to Homelessness
Clint Hendricks is one of the residents in Rainbow House in Observatory. Rainbow House has provided a home, refuge and a safe space for people who were facing homelessness. We have been documenting stories of transition for residents living in the house, this video features Clint Hendricks who was once homeless and is now embarking…
Another lost opportunity to build well-located affordable housing!
Press Statement: 14 September 2022 A City of Cape Town inclusionary housing policy that was to be finalised in 2021, again delays the building of inner city affordable housing and disrupt spatial apartheid. For the last five years, Ndifuna Ukwazi has been monitoring and objecting to development applications made to the Municipal Planning Tribunal,…
The Tafelberg Campaign Continues
What’s the hold up? PRESS RELEASE 24 August 2022 August 31 2022 marks the two-year anniversary since the landmark Tafelberg judgment to advance spatial justice by the State. This Saturday, 27 August, Reclaim the City together with Ndifuna Ukwazi will hold a public meeting to discuss a way forward. The conversation is open to the…
Statement of Support for SAITF and SERI
Statement in Support of SAITF and SERI SA against Hate Speech and Threats Date: 2 August 2022 We as civic organisations here undersigned, condemn the hate speech and cyberbullying, in the form of doxing, by Councillor Nkululeko Mbundu, party representative for Action SA and MMC for Economic Development in the City of Johannesburg, directed at…
NU Response to Mayor of Cape Town on Affordable Housing
Ndifuna Ukwazi response to the Mayor of Cape Town’s Council Address, 28 July 2022: We can’t applaud the City for progress on well-located affordable housing. It has been five years since 11 pieces of public land in Woodstock, Salt River and the inner city were earmarked for affordable housing and social housing, only today the…