Ben Friedman Square to be named Strand Muslim Square; R2,1 billion in rates relief already provided
30 April 2026
In Cape Town, residents experience freedom in practice where there is no wastage of public funds, focused efforts on getting the basics done, regular maintenance of our assets, forward planning on meeting the need for affordable housing and Integrated Human Settlements, and record investment in infrastructure. See Acting Mayor Eddie Andrews’s full address to Council here: capetown.gov.za/Media-and-news/Council Address - Acting Mayor Eddie Andrews .
'The promise of freedom is not measured in history. It is measured in whether that freedom is upheld by capable institutions, accountable leadership, and outcomes that people can see and feel.
And just days after Freedom Day, that is the standard we must hold ourselves to.
As I stand here in City Hall, I am acutely aware that this is a space that, not too long ago, was never meant for people like me. A place where decisions were taken about us without us. A place that once stood as a symbol of exclusion.
And yet today, I stand here freely in the Nelson Mandela Exhibition. Freedom Day is not only a date on our calendar, but a responsibility on all of us. What does freedom look like today? Is it safe in our communities? Is it a job that sustains families? Is it a roof over your head? Or is it clean water, working infrastructure, and a government you can trust?
If we are to answer these questions honestly, we must confront what is unfolding across our country - where cities like Johannesburg are struggling to provide reliable water, and where too many residents are without basic services.
Madam Speaker, Cape Town is different. We have remained disciplined in the fundamentals: We appoint principled and capable councillors, who uphold the duties, standards, and public trust of their office. We invest in infrastructure. We maintain what we build and we plan ahead.
Freedom is also about memory, about who we choose to honour, and how we recognise the histories that have shaped our city.
The Naming Committee is considering a number of proposals, and among these are two that will come before Council, each carrying particular significance for our diverse city.
Firstly, the proposed renaming of Belhar Drive to John van der Rheede Drive. This is a recognition of a man whose life was defined by service, an educator, a community organiser, and a civic leader who worked across decades to uplift communities. This re-naming ensures that his contribution is not only acknowledged, but permanently embedded in the fabric of the community he served.
Secondly, the proposed renaming of Ben Friedman Square to Strand Muslim Square. This is a decision grounded in both history and reconciliation. Ben Friedman Square stands in an area shaped by the long-standing presence of the Strand Moslem community - whose heritage stretches back over two centuries. Importantly, this process has been characterised by cooperation; supported by the Muslim community, endorsed by civic and faith-based organisations, and undertaken with the support of the Friedman family themselves. Cape Town is a city where Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and other faith and cultural communities do not simply coexist but have, over generations, built relationships of respect, partnership, and shared belonging. This re-naming reflects that reality.
Financial assistance
At a time when households across our country are under real financial pressure, the City of Cape Town has provided over R2,1 billion in rates relief through exemptions, rebates and reductions.
Before this Council today, is the 2026/27 review of the Integrated Human Settlements Sector Plan.
This is not a new strategy. It is a legislated review that is grounded in updated data, reflecting our delivery progress, and responding to the realities on the ground.
The data tells us clearly that:
- Housing demand in Cape Town continues to grow.
- Informal settlements are expanding.
- And the pressure on land, infrastructure, and affordability is intensifying.
It is precisely within this system-wide approach that Affordable Rental Units become critical.
Across our city, residents are already building backyard units, second dwellings, and small-scale rental flats as a practical response to demand. This is economics 101 where the local market has responded to demand.
It is serving a very real segment of our population.
The teacher who needs to live closer to work.
The nurse who cannot access formal finance.
The young professional who earns too much to qualify for a subsidy, but not enough to enter the property market.
The family that can afford rent but is excluded by credit records or blacklisting.
This is the missing middle and I’m confident that many of our colleagues have family members who live this reality every day. The question before us is not whether this should exist. It already does. The question is whether it happens in an unregulated, unsafe and informal way, or whether we step in to enable, guide and formalise it. Because when properly supported, Affordable Rental Units do more than increase supply - They reshape how our city works.
They unlock additional housing along existing transport corridors.
They allow residents to remain within their communities, while improving their living conditions.
They respond directly to informality.
And critically, they create a pathway for unemployed property owners to generate income and build generational wealth.
Our role as a City is clear:
That is why we are advancing the Affordable Rental Units programme, and why we launched the Local Planning Support Office to provide direct, on-the-ground support to residents, turning informal activity into compliant, bankable development.
This year marks 50 years of Mitchells Plain.
A place shaped by apartheid spatial planning, where families were pushed to the periphery, far from jobs, far from opportunity, and far from the economic life of the city. When we speak about freedom, we must resist the temptation to speak only about the past. Because freedom is not only what we inherited in 1994.
Freedom is what we build today. It is built in Mitchells Plain, 50 years on, in the homes we enable, in the infrastructure we maintain, and in the opportunities we unlock, and ultimately in the lives of the people we serve. So, the question before us is not whether we are free.
The question is whether we are doing enough with that freedom.
In Cape Town, we believe the answer must be yes.
Not because everything is perfect, but because we are committed: committed to delivery; committed to dignity and committed to building a city where freedom is not an idea but a lived reality.’
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
