27/08/2026
UPDATE: Ahmed Kathrada House Residents Take Their Demands to the Department of Infrastructure
On 27 August 2026, residents of Ahmed Kathrada House (AKH), together with supporters from Reclaim the City and Ndifuna Ukwazi, took collective action at the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure offices on Dorp Street. After years of unanswered letters, broken promises, and being locked out of decisions about our home, we made our voices heard.
What Happened
We delivered a memorandum and two feasibility studies—a structural assessment and a financial viability study—that we ourselves commissioned. These documents show that redevelopment of our building is possible. They are the foundation for the meaningful engagement we have been demanding for years .
We were met by Brett Blackburn, Chief Director: Immovable Asset Management. He committed to handing our documents to Head of Department Advocate Chantal Smith and to addressing the performance issues with the contracted security company, Royal Security.
But we made it clear: we are tired of being passed between officials and security companies. We are tired of the HOD being "unavailable" to meet with us, while she is available to write about us in the newspapers. We have been living without electricity since the unlawful disconnection in 2017. We have been forced to monitor our own entrances at night because the security company fails to protect us.
Our Demands
We gave the Department a clear ultimatum: seven days from this coming Monday to respond. We demand:
* A direct meeting with HOD Advocate Chantal Smith—not junior officials without authority to make commitments
* A formal written response addressing our outstanding concerns
* Meaningful participation in decisions about the future of our home, as required by the landmark Tafelberg judgment
The Tafelberg Judgment
The Constitutional Court has made it clear: meaningful public participation must happen before decisions are finalised, with genuine potential to shape outcomes. By claiming public participation processes for the so-called "Helen Bowden" development are complete while never having consulted us, the Department has failed its constitutional duty .
What Comes Next
We have done our job. We have prepared the evidence, the feasibility studies, the documentation. We have exhausted every reasonable avenue. We have visited their offices, written letters, requested meetings, and attended public engagements.
Now the ball is in their court. If the HOD does not respond within seven days, we will be back—and we will escalate.
Ahmed Kathrada House is our home. Nothing about our home should be decided without us.
"Nothing About Us Without Us."
