Protea Village families to wait until 2028 for restored homes

Families forcibly removed from Protea Village in Bishopscourt during the 1960s will not be able to move back into restored housing until at least 2028, according to current development timelines. While bulk infrastructure-including roads, water, sanitation, and street lighting-is now complete, the construction of actual dwellings for 86 claimant families is not scheduled to begin until March 2027. The Financial Mechanism of Cross-Subsidization The ability to build these homes depends on a cross-subsidy model rather than a direct state grant alone. The project relies on the sale of 50 plots on the open market in Bishopscourt, one of Cape Town's most expensive suburbs, to fund the construction of the claimants' residences. The final budget for the 86 homes could only be confirmed once the sale of these market-related stands was finalized. As of current reports, 33 stands have been transferred to buyers at an average price of R4.5-million each, with seven in the process of transfer and ten reserved. Building plans were submitted to the City of Cape Town only this month, following the confirmation of these funds.