A rare wetland of 277 hectares that borders on the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve just outside Cape Town, which has been declared a UNESCO key biodiversity area, is in jeopardy due to a possible high-density housing development by the City of Cape Town.
The area, which is currently in state possession, forms part of the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve and is home to critically endangered ecosystems, several wetlands and irreplaceable biodiversity essential for South Africa’s national conservation targets.
The wetland (erf 1117) is a precious natural asset and the proposal to develop the area has already elicited an outcry from conservationists and members of the local community.
More than 600 residents voiced their objection to the proposed development in a recent public participation process.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) also strongly opposes any form of development on the land and has already called on the Western Cape government to scrap its entire development plan.
The Western Cape, particularly the parts around Cape Town, has seen an immense influx of people over the last few years and informal settlements are quickly taking up all available land.
The City should rather launch decisive measures to stop the seeming unbridled influx, which is having a visible impact on the area around Cape Town.
The influx is so severe that the City itself stated in a 2023 report that by 2043, 55% of all new dwellings in Cape Town will be informal structures.
The greater Blaauwberg region has already been identified as a priority area for the development of human settlements. The natural environment, and especially the irreplaceable biodiversity areas, cannot simply be destroyed for the sake of erecting squatter camps.
Moreover, the Freedom Front Plus is of the opinion that the City would violate its own housing policy in this regard.
The policy stipulates that affordable housing developments need to be situated in appropriate locations, near public transport and economic opportunities. Erf 1117 does not meet these criteria.
The Freedom Front Plus proposes that Cape Town should acquire the land, but with the sole objective of including it in the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve. There is alternative land available for housing.
