10,000 new housing units in the Deep South

If the DA-led City Council approves the LSDF for Masiphumelele and its surrounding areas, it will show a disregard for its voters. The harmful impacts of this unethical densification will be long-lasting.

I don’t think that the residents of the South Peninsula region of Cape Town understand the seriousness of the situation regarding the Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF) for Masiphumelele and Environs.

The public comment period on the draft LSDF ran from around August 15 to October 21 this year. The plan is now in the post-public participation stage, where the DA-led City Council is compiling and responding to all comments received.

Following an internal review, the Council plans to submit a “proposed way forward” report to the local subcouncil and the Spatial Planning and Environment Portfolio Committee for consideration and potential approval.

If this current draft is approved, the City would be able to build 10,000 new housing units across several sites in the Deep South. The document says, “over 10 000 units.”

The Deep South LSDF forms part of the City’s broader push to unethically densify Cape Town. Make not mistake, this is a policy decision. It is not an inevitable reality. The DA-led City Council is actively driving unethical densification. There is no “need” for 10,000 units. This is a policy decision based in greed.

In short:

• The City Council approves the Integrated Development Plan (IDP). This document serves as the city’s central policy framework for development and service delivery over a five-year period.
• The IDP is not a technical plan, but a governing document that directs all municipal planning, including Local Spatial Development (LSDF).
• The members of the City Council are drawn from multiple parties and operate within a structure shaped by political competition. Although council decisions are presented as administrative, they inevitably reflect the values and priorities of the political parties that dominate the chamber.
• The Democratic Alliance (DA) currently holds the majority in the City Council, controlling more than half of all seats. This gives the party decisive influence over the IDP. As a result, the IDP and its related frameworks reflect DA policy choices. While the Council is a separate structure from the party, in reality its actions bear the DA’s fingerprints.
• The 2022–2027 IDP positions unethical densification as Cape Town’s dominant urban development model. It commits the City to increasing the concentration of housing. While framed using nice words, the policy marks a significant structural shift toward higher-density development across the metro.

The good news is that opposition is mounting. The Fish Hoek Valley Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association (FHVRRA) has objected strongly to the inclusion of Fish Hoek land parcels in the plan. The association warns that the large-scale development would overwhelm existing infrastructure, strain limited water and transport capacity, and alter the environmental character of the valley.

Make no mistake, the City’s density targets are politically driven, favouring short-term delivery figures over sustainable urban design.

While the City frames the initiative using flowery and nice sounding words, local stakeholders see the 10,000-unit vision as a blunt instrument, one that will bring an overwhelming number of negative consequences for future generations.

As the DA-led Council weighs public objections, the outcome will test whether the DA cares about its voters. Is the DA still a pro-democracy party? If this LSDF is approved then it shows that the DA no longer care about what its voters think. Either way I think that we need to look for an alternative political party. Thankfully there are other good options.

What can we do?

At this late stage, apart from prayer, the only way to put brakes on this madness of greed and immorality is a serious vote protest. In other words, make it known that you are moving away from the DA towards another party over the unethical densification of the Deep South and Cape Town.