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The GOOD Party demands an apology from Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Speaker Felicity Purchase. Mayor Hill-Lewis must make a public retraction of defamatory and misleading remarks in Cape Town Council Meeting

On 05 December, during the last council meeting of the City of Cape Town, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis made a false and defamatory remarks against myself, claiming that I invaded and illegally occupied and encouraged people to occupy the Woodstock Hospital building.

These remarks were in response to a point of clarity I had raised in the council meeting on failures by the City of Cape Town in developing the Woodstock Hospital for affordable housing.

I categorically deny the Mayor’s accusation as it is completely false and baseless.

I am aware of the DA’s many attempts to accuse, defame me and tarnish my name since I joined the party political scene through RISE Mzansi and the GOOD Party after years of activism in Cape Town.

These attempts by DA leaders will not stop me from advocating for and working with the communities most marginalised and ignored by the DA led City of Cape Town and Western Cape governments on issues of access to land, housing and basic service delivery.

The false remarks by the Mayor do not only tarnish my personal and professional reputation but also undermine the credibility of council proceedings.

Lies and defamatory remarks of this nature are unacceptable and have serious legal and ethical implications.

In the same council meeting and item, Speaker Felicity Purchase misled the meeting and the public by stating that the City of Cape Town doesn’t even own the Woodstock Hospital property.

This is completely false.

The Woodstock Hospital was transferred by the Western Cape Provincial Government to the City of Cape Town in 2020.

There is currently a public participation process for the proposed sale of Woodstock Hospital by the City of Cape Town.

It is deeply concerning that the Speaker of council spreads misinformation to council and the public.

This behaviour by the two of the most senior members of the City of Cape Town council is totally unacceptable.

I demand a full retraction of both the Mayor’s defamatory remarks and the Speaker’s misleading of council- and the public. This retraction must come with an apology from both.

I reserve the right to pursue legal action against Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to protect my reputation and seek redress for the harm caused on my person by these false allegations.

For clarity on the issue surrounding the Woodstock Hospital:

The on-again and off-again project was launched in 2017. The City announced affordable housing projects on 11 sites around Woodstock and Salt River, all within a 5km of the city centre and with good access to public transport.

However, these projects were all blocked by the Democratic Alliance and never saw the light of day.

Fast forward to 2022, the same plan was once again announced by Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis.

However, in the 5 years of the project being abandoned, the Woodstock hospital   has become home to over 800 occupants, known as ‘Cissie Gool House’.

In August, the motion for the sale of the site for private development of affordable housing was tabled in council, as GOOD we raised concerns that there is no plan to address what will happen to the current occupants.

We are opposed to any sale of land that will lead to more homelessness and landlessness and that will violently displace people and relegate them to the peripheries of our City.

The DA has governed Cape Town since 2006. 18 years later, not one single social housing unit has been built in the inner city of Cape Town.

Issued by Axolile Notywala, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor