Watergate Estate is an anchor project for the Urban Renewal Programme, a national urban renewal strategy which includes investment in economic and social infrastructure, human resource development, enterprise development, the enhancement of the development capacity of local government, poverty alleviation and the strengthening of the criminal justice system.

This is a private housing development that targets both the gap housing market as well as the national housing subsidy beneficiaries. The project is aimed at building approximately 2 500 houses and it has an estimated budget of about R800 million. The City of Cape Town has formed a public/private partnership with the Watergate Housing Development and New Age Property (Development) to develop the housing project in Mitchells Plain. The project is in final planning stages and the construction is estimated to take place over a 3 year period. The local economy will also be boosted and jobs will be created.
The sod-turning ceremony took place on Saturday, 25 July 2009 to launch the project.

Mayor - Alderman Dan Plato, Mr Anver Essop, Director: New Age Property Developers, Premier of the Western Cape - Helen Zille, MEC Housing - Bonginkosi Madikizela

The development, which is on 22 hectares of land, will provide affordable, bondable housing for 4 500 families in the R5 000 – R10 000 income bracket. This sector of the market is often precluded from state housing subsidies (because of their higher earnings), and are also unable to participate in the private housing market due to the higher prices commanded by houses in this category. 

Watergate Estate Site A:
The development consists of 186 freestanding units and 2 246 units on 12 general residential erven. The general residential units consist of 3 and 4 storey walk-up units. Unit sizes vary between 34 m² and 74 m², and include a combination of 1 to 3 bedroom units.

Status as at November 2011: 

• A PMT has been established 
  
• Bush clearing has been completed. The value of the project for bush clearing was R179 000 
  
• LUPO obtained by September 2011 
  
• Designs to be completed by January 2012
  

The total estimated value of the development is R800 million.

Watergate B:
The development consists of 227 residential erven with a combination of freestanding and semi-detached homes. The erven vary between 114 m² and 160 m² and are in line with the Provincial policies of densification. It is also compatible with the predominantly single residential environment in which it is located.

Status as at November 2011: 

• 158 units constructed 
  
• A further 69 units to be completed before December 2011
  
  

Watergate C:
Watergate C consists of 130 erven that vary in size between 114 m² and 160 m². The bulk of the development is freestanding homes with a small percentage of semi-detached units. The bulk infrastructure was completed by August 2011.

Status as at November 2011: 

• Construction of 105 units has commenced 
  
• Civil works 100% completed 
  
• The top structure construction has commenced 
  
• Project will be completed by December 2011
  
  

The proposed development will make provision for the following community components, which have been incorporated into the site development plan: 

• A community hall 
  
• A covered walkway between Mandalay Railway Station and Mitchell’s Plain Hospital via the
• proposed development 
  
• A perimeter security fence 
  
• A public road link (“the Boulevard”) between AZ Berman Dive and Mandalay Railway Station, bisecting the proposed development 
  
• Two crèches 
  
• A soccer field 
  
• A netball/basketball pitch 
  
• A community hall to be maintained and managed by the City, as a City asset 
  
• Taxi embayments along the “Boulevard”
  
  

Provision has been made for the construction of the access road that will unlock the Watergate Housing development land and provide access to the district hospital. URP had made amount of R3 million available for the development.

Status as at November 2011: 

• Design work and planning are being conducted by the Developer base on the specifications of the City 
  
• It is envisage that the construction of the road will commence in February 2012