Cape Town’s housing crisis has reached a boiling point, with over 440,000 applicants awaiting homes, according to the City’s Housing Needs Register. The crisis is not unique to Cape Town, as housing rights activists have called it a national crisis, citing that 3.7 million people are waiting for homes across the country.
The City’s Human Settlements Department has reported that in the past five years, 12,401 units were handed over in Cape Town, more than double the next metro, eThekwini, at 5,355. However, for many, the wait has been too long. Faldelah Damons, a resident of a Communicare facility in Ruyterwacht, has been on the waiting list since 2001 and is now facing eviction.
Housing Crisis in Numbers
According to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, the proposed budget for human settlements opportunities for 2026/27 is almost R2.8 billion. Mayco member for Human Settlements, Carl Pophaim, stated that the City spends on average around 95% of the subsidy grants from the national government for subsidised housing and close to 100% on informal upgrades and extension of basic service provision grants.
The Housing Rights Activist group, Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU), has challenged authorities over concerns regarding the publication of the Draft Prevention of Illegal Eviction from Unlawful Occupation of Land Amendment Bill, 2026 (PIE ACT). The group has called for public participation in the process, particularly from those most directly impacted by evictions and housing insecurity.
Key Statistics:
- 440,000 applicants on the City’s Housing Needs Register
- 3.7 million people waiting for homes across the country
- 12,401 units handed over in Cape Town in the past five years
- R2.8 billion proposed budget for human settlements opportunities for 2026/27
Ashraf Cassiem of the Anti-Eviction Campaign has challenged the housing register numbers, stating that the last he checked, it was 600 million on the register, with an increase of 22,000 a year. GOOD Secretary-General, Brett Herron, has supported the call for public participation in the proposed amendments to the PIE Act.
For more information on the housing crisis, visit the Wikipedia page on Housing in South Africa.</p)
