The City of Cape Town continues to accelerate affordable housing delivery despite of growing pressure on the national housing sector and released another strategically located public land opportunity to the private sector. They believe that the housing crisis cannot be solved by waiting for government to do more of the same.
Cape Town has undertaken preliminary feasibility assessments for the Annandale site and is inviting developers to submit innovative proposals by 10:00 a.m. on October 21, 2026. Proposals should look at maximising housing opportunities while also ensuring a sustainable and integrated development.
The 71.8-hectare Annandale site in Milnerton, valued at approximately R256 million, forms part of the City of Cape Town’s accelerated land release programme. It is unlocking well-located municipal land to create affordable housing opportunities through public-private partnerships.
At a time when housing delivery across South Africa is being impacted by funding reductions, implementation challenges and increasing demand, Cape Town has chosen a different path of releasing land, reducing development barriers and creating investment-ready opportunities to drive delivery.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Human Settlements – Councillor Carl Pophaim stated that the government cannot use constraints as an excuse for inaction. The housing challenge faced by South Africa is significant, but the answer cannot simply be to wait for circumstances to change.
Pophaim said that the Government must innovate, remove obstacles and use every available asset to create opportunities for people. Public land should never simply sit idle while families wait for a place to call home. The true value of land is not what it is worth on paper. It’s true value is measured by how many lives it can change.
For too long, well-located land has remained trapped in lengthy processes while the need for housing continues to grow. They have changed that model. Now, they identify strategic land, complete the necessary preparation, reduce risk and bring investment-ready opportunities to market.
According to Carl Pophaim, despite of significant reductions in national housing funding, Cape Town has refused to slow down. They are not waiting for delivery, instead they are just creating the conditions for delivery.
He added that in this term of office alone, Cape Town has released more affordable housing land than was released during the previous decade. The pipeline has now grown beyond 12,000 affordable homes in well-located areas across the metro, including approximately 4000 units entering construction in the CBD this year alone.
These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent families who will have better access to opportunity, workers who will spend less time commuting and communities that will become more integrated. The Annandale release is another step in advancing Cape Town’s commitment to undoing the legacy of apartheid spatial planning through practical delivery.
Cllr Pophaim explained that spatial transformation cannot happen through speeches alone. It happens when government unlocks land, enables investment and delivers homes in the right locations. This programme is about turning public assets into public opportunity.