The Cissie Gool House, which was formerly a hospital in Woodstock, currently houses around a thousand people, comprising over 300 households. This building was occupied in 2017 by families and activists who faced threats of eviction and prohibitively high rent. The building operates operating theaters that provide more space for large families, while former private wards and consultation rooms offer options for smaller family groups.
The author visited Cissie Gool House to personally examine the occupation process. Initially, this movement became part of political efforts by housing movements such as Reclaim the City, aimed at keeping Cape Town accessible to all its residents. The process of gentrification is described as a situation where wealthy individuals and developers move into well-located low-income areas, such as Woodstock. They purchase and renovate buildings, thereby increasing property value and potential rental income. As a result, original residents of these areas cannot afford to stay and face eviction and relocation to the outskirts of the city center.
When the Western Cape provincial government and the city council began implementing plans to sell the site of the former Tafelberg school complex in Sea Point to private developers, housing activists realized the limitations of traditional rights protection methods. The Tafelberg site was intended for social housing in a relatively prestigious suburb, which would allow the working class to live closer to their workplaces. This is crucial for changing the old spatial structures of the apartheid era that persist today, where Black and Coloured residents sell their labor in the city center but are forced to live on the periphery.
The people being displaced from urban homes understood that they needed to find alternative strategies to protect their right to decent housing, leading to the start of the occupation. Today, Cissie Gool House functions as a self-governing community under established rules for residents, with leadership representing various sectors of the place. Committees are present dealing with co-living issues in close proximity, including building maintenance, security, and cleanliness—everything necessary for a healthy community.
Negotiations with the authorities for a long-term solution continue, and residents increasingly consider this place their home. They plan to celebrate ten years next year and will likely gather residents to work harder on overcoming the numerous difficulties and setbacks the occupation has faced to date. Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court ruled in July this year that the government cannot sell the Tafelberg site and must instead ensure the construction of adequate and affordable housing in Sea Point.
The occupation in Woodstock joins other global actions as a symbol of resistance and hope for people disillusioned with the failures of traditional forms of human rights advocacy in creating more humane public policy. It is undoubtedly illegal to occupy land or buildings without due process. We are obliged to obey the law—it is the contract we make as members of society. However, we are also obliged to resist and break laws that clearly aim to harm people, the environment, or the social contract binding us.
This is the difference between legality and legitimacy. Legitimacy implies consideration of justice, morality, ethics, righteousness, and what is right. The actions of the City of Cape Town and its provincial government in these cases are clearly unjust, as they do not align with the mandate of governance—they do not meet the needs of their residents. They cannot claim legitimacy, and the occupation underscores this. The country's Supreme Court agrees with this.
The author is not a naive idealist regarding occupations and political actions that may lead to increased conflict and risk to human life. He has witnessed harsh living conditions and serious social problems. But he is inspired by the residents of Cissie Gool House, who refuse simply to accept their marginalization. Their resistance over the past nine years is marked by real efforts to create something good, guided by a political vision of what a better way of life should be.