Ravensmead Backyard Residents Protest Limited Housing Allocations in City of Cape Town Infill Project

Ravensmead residents on the 26-year housing waitlist claim the City of Cape Town's new 724-unit infill project ignores local needs and lacks transparency.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 1, 2026, 5:56 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from GroundUp

Decades of Waiting Amidst a Growing Housing Crisis

Rachel Moraki, a 59 year old grandmother, typifies the struggle of thousands in Ravensmead who have spent decades living in backyard dwellings. Despite applying for formal housing 26 years ago, Moraki continues to live in a cramped structure behind her aunt’s house with her daughter, son in law, and two grandchildren. Her story reflects a broader systemic issue in the precinct, where 2022 Census data indicates that approximately 12 percent of the 65,000 residents live in informal dwellings. For many of these families, the cycle of hardship is perpetuated by a stagnant housing waiting list that fails to move despite the passage of nearly three decades.

Infill Housing Project Details Spark Local Outrage

The City of Cape Town’s Elsies River Infill housing project was designed to address these needs by delivering 724 Breaking New Ground housing opportunities across six sites. However, the first phase of the development in Florida, Ravensmead, consists of only 44 units scheduled for completion by June 2026. This limited initial offering has left the more than 3,000 local applicants feeling sidelined and ignored. While a further 680 units are planned for November 2026 in surrounding areas such as Eureka and Adriaanse, residents argue that the scale of the project is vastly insufficient to meet the current demand within their specific community.

Allegations of Sidelined Communities and Lack of Transparency

Residents and community leaders have raised serious concerns regarding the transparency of the City’s selection process. Jeff Van Wyk, chair of the Ravensmead executive committee, has labeled the public participation process ahead of the project as inadequate and is calling for an immediate review. Many backyarders, including 49 year old Aneen Pieterse who has been on the list for 23 years, fear that individuals from outside the Ravensmead community are being prioritized for homes built on their doorstep. Pieterse noted that despite regular inquiries at the housing office, her position on the waiting list remains unchanged, leading to a sense of profound disillusionment.