Sports clubs are paying the City of Cape Town less per year to lease prime land than it costs to rent a shack for a month - and they occupy land that would better house the poor.
On a vast piece of land known as Mabcinde in Masiphumelele township, Cape Town, water laps at the bases of the homes people have built for themselves. Long reeds rise from the damp ground and a canal – littered with plastic bags and glass bottles – snakes through the settlement.In Masiphumelele, this area is known as the wetlands. Its name, Mabcinde, means “on a temporal basis”, which is what people expect their lives here to be, temporary, until they can find a permanent home.
The grounds are used three days a week for bowls and other classes, such as yoga, are held on different days of the week. Non-governmental organisations such as Cansa hold fundraisers there. But it is mostly the town’s older residents who have found a sense of community in the club. They defend it fiercely, saying it plays an important role in shaping their daily lives in Fish Hoek.
“I agree that the housing crisis needs to be addressed, but the land we lease is very unlikely to make any sort of difference. We need large-scale solutions involving major tracts of public land. As it is, we’re already a very good user of land when one compares it against say, a golf club. A bowls green is around 1 400m² [38x38m] and can accommodate 48 players at any one time. That translates into some 30m² per player.
These rooms are known as “servant’s quarters” in Sea Point. Many of the apartment blocks in the seaside suburb have these rooms in the basement for domestic workers. The City of Cape Town acknowledged the rental fees for the sports club, but says the council approves how fees should be determined. “Unfortunately, facilities such as the golf course only provide value to a very small and privileged group, and the low fees charged are effectively a subsidy for the rich. It seems that this approach is replicated by cities across South Africa.”A City report by the parks and recreation department dated April 6 2018, reveals additional sports and recreation leases for tennis clubs in Camps Bay and Clifton, as well as sports clubs in Green Point, which are only due to expire in 2041.
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