A housing activist group is unimpressed about how long it has taken the City of Cape Town to release well located land for affordable housing.

Ndifuna Ukwazi says they cannot applaud the municipality as it has finally released the Salt River Market site to a construction company. It notes that this project dates back 14 years ago which it says is an entire lifespan of someone in grade 9. The group adds that these protracted delays need to be addressed systematically and accounted for.

Activists have vowed to continue to pressure the City and Mayor to fulfill their constitutional obligations of spatial redress by ensuring that they complete work on the 11 pieces of public land in Woodstock, Salt River and the inner city that have been earmarked for affordable and social housing.

Salt River Market is expected to deliver over 200 social housing units within a mixed-use development.

The Pickwick Road site has also been given approval in–principle. It’s expected to produce 600 units.