Mother City News

Funding is secured, but about 50 families living in an informal settlement still need to be relocated

By Matthew Hirsch

Funding has been secured to build social housing at the Salt River Market site, but about 50 families living in an informal settlement on the property still need to be relocated.… Read more

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

“Hopefully, the next generation will perhaps benefit,” says 77-year-old claimant

By Matthew Hirsch

While successful claimants wait for the government to secure funding to complete the long-awaited redevelopment of District Six, more than 700 further claimants might not live to see their rights restored.… Read more

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

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.