Council approves amendments to give ECDs a hand up
04 December 2025
Five years ago, Council approved the Development Charges Exemption Criteria for ECDs. This week, it approved the refined criteria, following a review of the initiative to facilitate ease of access for Early Childhood Development Centres. Read more below:
Development charges are applicable to any building or infrastructure development project in Cape Town.
The once-off fee is imposed at the time of a land development application or when an application is made to change the lawful land use or zoning of a property.
Several years ago, the City identified this as a stumbling block to Early Childhood Development Centres, which gave rise to the Development Charges Exemption Criteria for ECDs – approved by Council in October 2020.
Any ECD that meets the criteria can therefore be exempted from paying the development costs.
Five years later, the criteria has been further refined, following a series of engagements with the sector, and the public at large.
Key changes are that the City will consider applications for ECDs on government-owned properties under certain conditions and simplifying tax-related documentation required for applications.
'The review is more than an administrative adjustment; it is another step in building an enabling environment for those who carry one of the city's most important responsibilities - the early development and safety of our youngest children.
'This will not only reduce financial burdens on community-based and low-fee ECDs, but it will also support compliance and registration, by helping more centres meet City and provincial standards, and promote equitable access to early learning, particularly in vulnerable and under-serviced areas,' said Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham.
ECDs can find out more about the exemption framework and how to apply, by sending an email to CACD.ECD@capetown.gov.za
Since the start of the current financial year in July, the City has processed exemptions to the value of nearly R600 000.
'At its core, this is about shifting from a compliance-first system to a partnership-first system that supports and acknowledges the important role ECDs play as social infrastructure. The amendments that were approved by Council address the challenges that the sector raised with us at the two indabas we hosted in August and November this year. These improvements also maintain policy consistency and fiscal responsibility, as required by legislation. These amendements ensure that becoming compliant is not a luxury only available to the well-resourced. If we want safer children, better early learning outcomes, and more opportunity for working parents then we must continue breaking down the barriers that prevent ECD centres from entering the formal system,' said the City's Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
The refinement of the Development Charges Exemption Criteria forms part of a much broader commitment by the Community Services and Health Directorate to strengthen the ECD ecosystem.
This includes safety audits and classroom aids to help them towards compliance; educational programming; storytelling initiatives and learning resources through the City's libraries, and targeted health support from City Health.
The Community, Arts and Culture Development Department works with centres on governance, early learning environments, practitioner development, and linkages to social assistance.
'And with the launch of the new ECD training handbook which is shared at workshops across the City, we are giving operators a single, accessible roadmap to navigate City processes, access support, and understand exactly what is required to operate safely and legally. This is about building a system where ECDs are not left to struggle alone, but are backed by a City that walks the compliance journey with them,' added Councillor Higham.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
