While she was Cape Town mayor, Patricia de Lille called on the national government to make available three vast pieces of nationally owned land in Cape Town: Ysterplaat, Wingfield and Youngsfield, for affordable housing. Now, in her role as public works minister in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet, she is in a unique position to influence the government on this issue.

During her term, De Lille rightly addressed the city council’s need to deal with the apartheid spatial-planning issue. We know the Cape Town council is giving this priority, but the matter of the huge tracts of central government-owned land in Cape Town cannot wait until the issue is resolved. This can be addressed now...

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