Tensions over the future of the old Woodstock Hospital, also known as Cissie Gool House, intensified on Friday as its occupiers picketed outside the Cape Town Civic Centre.
Old Woodstock Hospital occupiers picket outside Civic Centre
The demonstration comes amid growing concerns that the City of Cape Town intends to evict hundreds of residents to make way for a social housing development.
Occupiers, many of whom have lived in the building since 2017, handed over a memorandum of demands to City officials, urging authorities to halt any eviction plans and engage meaningfully with affected residents.
The protest follows a heated council debate, where opposition parties and community groups criticised the City’s handling of the situation.
According to residents, numerous attempts to engage the City on the issue have been ignored.
Karen Hendricks, a leader of Reclaim the City, described the looming eviction as a devastating blow to people who sought refuge in Cissie Gool House after being priced out of their homes due to gentrification.
“Cissie Gool House has provided a safe home and a refuge to almost 1,000 people who could’ve been rendered totally homeless,” she said.
Many occupiers fear that should evictions proceed, they will have nowhere else to go, as affordable housing remains scarce in Cape Town’s rapidly developing inner city.
The background of the old Woodstock Hospital occupation
Cissie Gool House was occupied in 2017 as part of the Reclaim the City campaign, a movement advocating for affordable housing in well-located areas.
Over the years, the former hospital has become home to nearly 900 people, including families who could no longer afford rental increases or were displaced by evictions.
The City has maintained that the property presents a key opportunity for social housing, with plans to develop 500 housing units on the site.
However, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, during a public consultation in August 2024 argued that unlawful occupation has delayed progress on the project.
“The frustrating fact of this particular property is that social housing would have already been in the construction phase by now, were it not for the major obstacle of the unlawful occupation of the site,” Hill-Lewis stated.
City officials insist that engaging with the current occupants will not lead to preferential treatment, as over 400,000 people remain on Cape Town’s housing waiting list.
Councillor Axolile Notywala of the GOOD party criticised the City’s approach, warning that evicting nearly 900 people without a clear plan would only exacerbate homelessness in Cape Town.
“These are 864 human beings. These are mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, and children who live there. Surely, we must care,” he said.
The City has obtained a High Court order allowing it to survey the residents of Cissie Gool House, a move widely seen as a step toward eventual eviction proceedings.
However, occupiers remain determined to resist any forced removals, arguing that their presence in the building represents an ongoing fight for dignified and affordable housing in Cape Town’s urban core.