Gugulethu residents said last year in November they were informed that in December they would move to new houses and were even given keyholders. However, their joy was short lived because that promise has not been fulfilled
Elderly Gugulethu housing beneficiaries said they were given key holders months ago, yet they are still without homes, continuing to live in shacks and overcrowded conditions while waiting for the Gugulethu Infill housing project to be completed.
However, the City of Cape Town said the delays at the development along Lansdowne Road are linked to critical electricity infrastructure that is still being installed, which has stalled the final handover of homes.
Residents said their hopes were raised in November last year when they were given key holders and told they would be able to move into their houses in December. However, months later, many families said they are still waiting, while completed houses remain empty.
Mark Mathebe from the Gugulethu Uprising Organisation said residents feel increasingly let down as they continue to wait for housing they believed was already secured. “When we started this organisation in 2022, there were no houses here. It was just open land. We fought for people to get houses, but now the City is not delivering on what was promised.”
