{"id":15259,"date":"2026-02-25T06:06:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T06:06:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.investcapetown.com\/?post_type=press-releases-event&p=15259"},"modified":"2026-02-25T06:06:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T06:06:19","slug":"high-court-dismisses-attempts-to-block-cape-town-land-release","status":"publish","type":"press-releases-event","link":"https:\/\/www.investcapetown.com\/es\/press-releases-event\/high-court-dismisses-attempts-to-block-cape-town-land-release\/","title":{"rendered":"High Court dismisses attempts to block Cape Town land release"},"content":{"rendered":"

High Court dismisses attempts to block Cape Town land release<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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The City of Cape Town has welcomed the High Court\u2019s dismissal of attempts to block the release of 50 City-owned properties for private sector investment, including the iconic Good Hope Centre. The City\u2019s initiative aims to unlock economic and social value for Capetonians across the metro, with the properties to be released via a competitive public auction due to take place on Thursday, 26 February 2026. Read more below:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2018We welcome the High Court\u2019s dismissal of several applications which aimed to block land release that will unlock economic and social value for Capetonians.<\/p>\n

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‘We\u2019ve said from the start that our land release process is lawful and transparent, and we are glad that the court has seen through these meritless applications. A total of four have now either been struck off the roll or dismissed with costs.<\/p>\n

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‘The demands from those opposing the auction included baseless claims that unspecified land belongs to specific groupings. One group even asked that, in the event the land is released, a portion of the proceeds be paid into their bank account.<\/p>\n

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‘We firmly believe that the City\u2019s land portfolio – rather than just sit idle – must drive economic growth across Cape Town. These properties are not being lost to Capetonians – instead, they will now realise their full economic and social potential through private investment to the benefit of residents.<\/p>\n

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‘That includes the iconic Good Hope Centre, which has a very exciting future ahead for event hosting and mixed-use development, which limited state funding could never achieve,\u2019 said Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth.<\/p>\n

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All properties identified for auction have been thoroughly assessed and confirmed as not required for municipal purposes.<\/p>\n

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The revenue generated from the sale or lease of these properties will also be reinvested directly into service delivery across Cape Town to the benefit of residents.<\/p>\n

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The City has further supplied the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) with information on its ground-breaking Mayoral Priority Programme to accelerate affordable housing land release, which has released more land in this term of office than in the decade prior, with a total of 12 000 affordable units in the pipeline.<\/p>\n

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The City assured the SAHRC that all legal and constitutional steps have been followed \u2013 including extensive public participation – and that there are no valid legal, constitutional or human rights-related reasons to delay this round of land release.<\/p>\n

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Good Hope Centre set for major upgrade<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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This latest round of land release is headlined by the iconic Good Hope Centre precinct, which is set to be revitalised by private sector investment while protecting heritage aspects. A wide range of further opportunities for sale and lease are available across multiple investment categories:<\/p>\n

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