Our community is full of people doing meaningful work

For example, one school writes:

We provide education to youth, primarily from Ocean View and Masiphumelele. We also provide consultation and oversight for another non-profit in Ocean View, providing education for youth that have dropped out of school.

We teach life skills including growing your own food. By having a large property, we’re able to grow healthy food for the students, teach them how to build and do carpentry. We’re able to provide them a safe space in which to process trauma. They have a space to walk and clear their heads, and get exercise. Even just watching the kids walking the trails, and climb the trees. They’re able to engage with nature when they would otherwise not be able to.

When we outgrew our space in the Cape Flats, we searched for properties across Cape Town to do the work we’re currently doing, and it took two years to find this property. This property was unique in that it allowed us to be easily accessible to children from both Ocean View and Masi, and still live safely on the property.

It’s very unique to be able to live and work on our property, and if we weren’t able to do so we would have to shut down.

Agricultural activities on the smallholdings amplify throughout Cape Town

Our smallholding began as a permaculture farm for our family ten years ago, but has grown to serve hundreds of people through education, sharing of fruit trees and seedlings, and waste remediation. As a meeting place and a place of deep practical experience of efforts towards sustainability, our goal is to be an example that can be replicated at different scales, across the City of Cape Town and beyond.

A family with four generations on one property writes:

It has taken 21 years to build our vision whereby our children and their families have a home, and where we are able to generate an income for our old age, thus not making us a burden on both the State and our children.
We chose to settle here in 2013… Our decision was rooted in a desire to raise our children with values that have been largely lost in today’s fast-paced society—values that remind us that instant gratification is fleeting, and that true character is shaped over time.

Several people have experienced displacement previously, either in their family line, or they themselves have been displaced during apartheid:

I have two dwellings on my property. I receive a rental income of R6500, without which I cannot pay the high municipal rates. I cannot find a comparable property in the area. So not only will I lose the ability to leave behind property for my family, I will be forcefully removed once again. First as a child and second as a pensioner.

Our community provides a safety net during water shortages, and work for about 400 people.

My business contributes to the local circular economy by providing direct support to neighbouring households and creating employment opportunities within the immediate community. For example, my neighbours have been able to rely on my water supply during shortages, and I employ staff from surrounding communities. This interdependence ensures that resources are shared and livelihoods are supported. If I were to lose my land, these forms of direct assistance and employment would cease entirely, weakening the resilience of both my neighbours and the wider community.