Cape Town sells off 50 plots of public land despite outcry

Various groups protest against the City of Cape Town’s planned land auction during a march from Good Hope Centre to Cape Town High Court on 24 February 2026. Picture: Gallo Images/ER Lombard The City of Cape Town pressed ahead with a controversial land auction on Thursday, selling 50 parcels of municipal land despite opposition from civil society groups, political parties and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). The auction, which was initially scheduled to take place at Cape Town Stadium before being moved online, went ahead at midday despite mounting pressure on the city to stand down.

The SAHRC had urged Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to postpone the auction, warning of the potential adverse human rights implications. The commission on Monday revealed it had met with Hill-Lewis on 20 February and followed up with written correspondence, but its appeals were disregarded. “The commission remains concerned that the city is relying on public participation processes and in-principle approvals that occurred as far back as 2019, 2021 and 2022,” the SAHRC said.

It added that in a post-pandemic socio-economic landscape, these processes were “no longer temporally relevant”. The commission also flagged a critical gap between the city’s stated intentions and its actual auction conditions. While Hill-Lewis indicated that portions of the land were intended for social or affordable housing, the commission said that no enforceable conditions to that effect would be attached to the sale.

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“The commission is therefore unsure how the city’s stated intentions will be realised without enforceable legal conditions,” it said. The SAHRC warned that should the city proceed without meaningful engagement, it would “take all necessary steps to discharge its mandate and protect constitutional rights”.

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