Capetonians who are concerned that their city may not be able to sustain the growing influx of residents from other parts of the country should not fear, experts say.
After all, not all semigrants are moving to Cape Town; some are choosing to settle in other areas of the province.
And even if they are choosing the Mother City as their new home, the municipality can cope.
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Erwin Rode, managing director and chief executive of Rode & Associates – which specialises in real state economics, property valuations, property research, and town planning – says both the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town knows what needs to be done to accommodate the growing numbers of residents.
Officials are “acutely aware” of the potential infrastructure problems posed by the influx of semigrants, and are already working on the issues. There may be a bottleneck, but he believes this will only be temporary as the City will react appropriately and timeously.
Rode also does not believe that Cape Town will run out of space for its growing population.
“I personally don’t think there will be a limitation factor as the private sector is already increasing residential property development. There are also areas north of the city that can accommodate new residential developments.”
Similarly, FNB property economist John Loos feels that the Western Cape as a whole can sustain the increasing numbers of semigrants “for many years” still.
“You have to remember that there is Cape Town, and then there is the rest of the province.”
Even though people will not stop relocating to the city – despite its big city problems and challenges, including poverty and congestion – data over recent years has shown that semigration is growing in other areas like the Southern Cape and those on the west coast.
“More towns that were not previously attractive are now bringing people in, and not just semigrants but people from Cape Town and other parts of the province. These towns were never really seen as semigration destinations in the past
“More and more towns are becoming favourable alternatives to Cape Town as the city fills up, becomes crowded, and sees exorbitant property values. This is also being seen in the Stellenbosch property market.”
Loos says the Western Cape is “quite a big province”, and that there are many towns still untouched by semigrants.
And while many Capetonians may feel inconvenienced by the congestion in their city, there is also an economic and business upside to the influx.
“Semigrants – who are not only those with high-incomes and skills but people who are low-income and moving to the city for a better life – greatly benefit the economy and businesses. They also drive the economy with their skills and higher incomes.”
Retirees, for example, are sometimes not working, but they are big purchasers and also good for retail.
There are, however, challenges posed by increasing numbers of people moving to a particular place.
“Pressure is put on resources and infrastructure, particularly nature resources. This is where well-run councils are crucial as they need to plan for greater power and water supply, as well as work out how to preserve natural resources,” Loos says.
Higher volumes of tourists have the same impact on natural resources.
George, for example, needs to plan for “clever densification” if the number of residents continues growing as it seems to be.
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