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Steve Kretzmann

Iconic Good Hope Centre auctioned by City amidst civic opposition

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More than 50 municipal land parcels across the city are being sold to the highest bidder while locals suffer a housing availability crisis

The City’s plan to auction the iconic turtle-shaped Good Hope Centre along with other parcels of municipal land across the city on 26 February was met with protests, legal challenges, and a request for postponement from the SA Human Rights Commission.… Read more

City land auction at odds with affordable housing commitments

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The City’s auctioning of 53 parcels of land without any requirements for the provision of social or affordable housing is not aligned to the City’s affordable housing commitments, states the Development Action Group.

In a statement released on 25 Feb, the Development Action Group (DAG) noted the High Court’s dismissal of applications seeking to postpone the City auction.… Read more

Inner city: no room for locals

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Short-term letting through various platforms, including Airbnb, locks up 70% of residential units in the central city

There is a severe shortage of rental stock for local residents in Cape Town’s inner city, and what is available is priced beyond the reach of the majority of Capetonians.… Read more

Pharmaceuticals accumulating in Zandvlei estuary

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Scientists show pollution of the estuary is not sufficiently diluted, but persists in the environment

Sewage pollution is believed to be causing the persistent presence of drugs such as paracetamol and antibiotics in the ecologically important Zandvlei Estuary at Muizenberg, Cape Town.… Read more

Pro-poor budget: Struggle to get municipal subsidies

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Subsidies on water, sanitation, and refuse charges for indigent households and homes caring for vulnerable people have not necessarily been automatically applied since 1 July

  • Homes catering for the disabled are supposed to benefit from rates rebates and service charge subsidies under the City’s new 2025/26 budget.
… Read more

Moffie: a near perfect reminder of indomitability

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Following an acclaimed London run, this South African story needs to be seen at the Baxter

There were sergeants in the apartheid army who could bark out 30 or more words in an unbroken stream to create an extended insult involving bodily functions, body parts, bodily fluids, animals, familial relationships, and sex.… Read more

October gig guide – and the last week of September

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There’s like, some really good stuff happening this month.

Theatre

Last few days of Moffie at the Baxter Theatre. André Carl van der Merwe’s bruising coming-of-age novel, adapted by Philip Rademeyer and directed by Greg Karvellas. Set in 1979, a young, gay conscript (played by David Viviers) is sent to fight in the Border War.… Read more

National film foundation falters as leadership churns

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The National Film and Video Foundation has had six CEOs in two-and-a-half years

  • At a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee meeting last week questions were raised about the procedures involved in appointing the current NFVF board and acting CEOs.
  • Department of Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie was accused by MPs of destabilising the NFVF for political ends.
… Read more

Property owners are misreading the law, argues Cape Town mayor

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Commercial property owners are challenging the City’s budget in court, but the mayor argues they are selectively interpreting the law

The legal challenge to the City of Cape Town’s latest budget brought by the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) is based on a selective reading of the Constitution and the Municipal Systems Act, argues Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.… Read more