Protea Village, a first-of-its-kind land restitution project in SA, is back on track to break ground in Bishopscourt, Cape Town, before the end of 2024.

The Protea Village community were the first to settle on the land, residing there for generations until the Group Areas Act forcefully displaced them between 1959 and 1970. After their claim was successfully lodged in 1995, some of the displaced families opted for compensation. However, 86 families opted for the restoration of their rights to the land, and in 2006, the National Department of Public Works and the City of Cape Town awarded erven 212 and 242 in Bishopscourt to the community.

“Protea Village represents a first-of-its-kind land restitution project in South Africa. It uses an innovative cross-subsidisation business plan, which has the community selling private residential stands on one side of Kirstenbosch Drive to fund high-quality homes for returning residents on the other side,” said Chairperson of the Protea Village Communal Property Association, Barry Ellman.

Unfortunately, since 2006, the project has been halted by multiple delays including the High Court action lodged by Friends of the Liesbeek in May 2022, and their subsequent appeal to the municipal town planning approval. However, on the 30^th of January 2024, a settlement agreement was signed between the two parties. The Friends of the Liesbeek agreed to withdraw their opposition to the project in return for an expansion of the size of the public open space along the Liesbeek River’s green belt, which will form part of the completed development, as well as a reduction of the parcel of residential stands from 22 higher density stands to 7 large individual stands.

“We view ourselves as an inseparable part of the river’s extended family and will do all we can to protect this element of our heritage. For example, we have prioritised the protection of the area around the freshwater spring, which holds symbolic importance for our community,” said Ellman.

With the terms of the settlement being implemented, and all planning approvals in place, the project team has turned its focus on the necessary processes required to begin construction on the site before the end of the year.

“We are excited to break ground on a sustainable model for land restitution that could serve as a blueprint for future projects across the country,” commented Dave Child of Bethel Partners, Development Managers for the project.

“We have had several fruitful engagements with the City of Cape Town which has committed to funding and delivering the bulk and link infrastructure for the development, in line with the 2006 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the City and the Protea Village Community. We are grateful for the support of the Deputy Mayor Alderman Eddie Andrews, and his commitment to ensuring the required approval and planning processes do not delay the start of this first engineering phase,” Child added.

Barry Ellman also extended the Protea Village community’s gratitude to Alderman Andrews for championing the project, as well as the neighbouring residents for their support. “Together, we are making real progress towards the long-awaited restoration of our community, property and cherished homes. This is a legacy that will be passed down to future generations,” he concluded.