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Protea Village claimants wait until 2028 to return home

Published

Building of homes for 86 claimant families at Protea Village in Bishopscourt will start only in March 2027 and should finish in the first half of 2028. Roads, water, sanitation and streetlights are already installed.

The families were forcibly removed from Protea Village in the 1960s. Of the claimants, 86 families chose restoration of land rights. Another 46 families chose financial compensation.

Chair of the Protea Village Communal Property Association Andre Maxwell said building plans reached the City only earlier this month. He said the budget could be confirmed only after all open-market stands were sold. He expects sales of the remaining properties to be finalised by next month.

The development sells 50 open-market plots to help pay for the project. The first 33 plots sold for an average of R4.5 million, and 33 stands have been transferred to buyers. Ten final stands are reserved. The development also includes a four-hectare public greenbelt along the Liesbeek River.

The land reform department granted R60.8 million in 2021, and the City of Cape Town invested R83 million in bulk infrastructure and other support. Victor Josephus, 85, was forcibly removed. At a site visit on Monday he said: "I would really like to come back".

Key facts

Who
Victor Josephus (forcibly removed claimant, aged 85); Andre Maxwell (chair of the Protea Village Communal Property Association (CPA)); Martha Thomas (claimant family member); Wayne Alexander (chief director of the Regional Land Claims Commission in the Western Cape)
What
Construction of homes for 86 claimant families who opted for land restoration at Protea Village will only start in March 2027 and is set to be complete within the first half of 2028. Installation of roads, water, sanitation and streetlights has been completed.
When
20 October 2026
Where
Protea Village, Bishopscourt, Cape Town
Status
Reported

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