GOOD Statement by Marius van Stade,
GOOD Stellenbosch Municipality Councillor
16 July 2025
The GOOD Party joins the Stellenbosch Municipality in celebrating the approval of more than 900 inclusionary housing units under its pioneering zoning by-law. It is a notable milestone but we remain cautious. Policy approval is one thing. Delivering homes that are truly affordable and accessible to working-class residents is another.
Today, Executive Mayor Jeremy Fasser said that since the policy’s adoption in 2023, “more than 900 new inclusionary housing units have been approved, with many more in the pipeline.” GOOD welcomes this intent, but until homes are actually built, and people housed, the promise remains unfulfilled.
GOOD has long criticised the Western Cape Government’s Inclusionary Housing Framework as a performative document – voluntary, unenforceable, and entirely divorced from meaningful impact. The provincial framework fails to mandate delivery, fails to protect the public value of land, and fails to transform spatial injustice.
Spatial transformation cannot be legislated on paper alone. It requires political will, transparent implementation, and deep community participation. Affected communities must be co-authors of housing solutions, not just consultees in a policy process.
The real test of this policy will not be measured in planning approvals or publications, but in actual, well-located homes built for people who have long been excluded from the urban core.
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