This Cape Town ‘village' hub on reimagined land gives township entrepreneurs a chance

News24

2 days ago

In the heart of Philippi Village is an entrepreneurial community hub redefining the idea of transformation.
Philippi Village, an entrepreneurial and community hub in Philippi, Cape Town, offers low-income households the opportunity to become self-sufficient in the urban economy.
Since its inception in 2016, the model for Philippi Village has evolved from a business support centre into a community-focused development project, adapting according to the circumstances of the community that it serves.
Twelve hectares of open land and an abandoned cement structure might now be perceived as an oasis in the chaos, madness and challenges of the wider Philippi area.
The project questions the role of space in the developing urban Cape Flats. Originally conceptualised to house small businesses, it acted as a 'landlord' to township-based entrepreneurs who could rent workspaces and receive guidance to launch or grow small businesses.
The financial model was dependent on small businesses paying rent, which ultimately failed due to a lack of occupancy and disposable income.
Although Philippi Village managed to invite external tenants such as the Desmond Tutu Foundation, it couldn't retain them due to incidents of violent crime in the area.
'People's ideas of safety are different,' says Bushra Razack, CEO of Philippi Village. 'They often have a perceived safety – where safety is armed security with a baton. How do you shift that mindset?'
Klara Robertson/News24
Klara Robertson/News24
Klara Robertson/News24
The organisation decided to put up a wall to protect the investment. 'Walls mean different things to different people, but at that moment we needed perimeter safety,' Razack explains.
Razack emphasises that the long-term plan of Philippi Village is to eradicate the need for the wall and use landscape design as an integrated form of security.
Tearing down walls created solutions
Every time Philippi Village tried to build a wall around its property, the residents of Siyangena, an informal settlement on the outskirts of the Philippi Village border, would tear it down.
When the team engaged with the community to find the reason for this, the residents of Siyangena said that they broke the wall down because they had no access to toilets and used the land to relieve themselves.
For Razack and her team, this was powerful information: they realised that even with the best possible intention, it was essential to understand what is important to the community.
There are opportunities for the youth at Philippi Village.
Klara Robertson/News24
Klara Robertson/News24
As an NGO focused on building entrepreneurial spaces in Philippi, the team was sceptical about becoming responsible for basic amenities but understood that the lack of toilets in Siyangena directly affected the village's perimeter. The Philippi team appealed to the Western Cape government to provide toilets for Siyangena, but the government claimed it didn't have jurisdiction because the land was privately owned.
The solution was for the team to build the wall as a zigzag, providing space for the toilets and giving the provincial government permission to build them on their land, which occurred four years later.
'The realities of township life, though not how you want to portray Philippi, is an important part of how one has to design the space,' says Razack.
'In South Africa we have an apartheid-style approach: bring out the guns, land invasion unit. In that moment, if we don't have an alternative in place, it's the easiest, safest, most convenient way to react to it. But we are only as healthy and safe as what is happening around us.'
A 'conscious contract' with the community over land
The model of Philippi Village is rooted in a community-centred approach, recognising that the spatial legacy of apartheid continues to shape township design – spaces historically not built to inspire dignity, health or opportunity.
When residents of Waterfront informal settlement, driven by unliveable flooding conditions, began erecting homes on the Philippi Village premises, the team responded with a collaborative, rather than confrontational, approach. The settlement, situated on city-owned land and lacking basic services like sanitation and electricity, becomes inundated with sewage during the rainy season.
In response, the Philippi Village team formed what they refer to as a 'conscious contract' with the Waterfront community. They agreed to prioritise Waterfront residents on their job seekers database in exchange for cooperation in managing the land occupation challenge.
This mutual agreement laid the foundation for a unique partnership.
Klara Robertson/News24
Seeing a tangible benefit, the community identified 40 individuals who were not originally from Waterfront but had joined the occupation. Simphiwe Nikani, the general manager at Philippi Village, converted unused shipping containers – typically reserved for tenants – into emergency housing overnight.
The community agreed to use these emergency units exclusively during the rainy season.
Remarkably, they also committed to taking down their own structures and vacating the space once the agreement's terms were met.
'I've never seen another example in South Africa where there is a land occupation that is illegal, and people willingly take their structures down, fulfill their side of the lease agreement, and exit,' remarks Razack. 'It comes from that relationship-building, seeing what's important. At that moment, employment was more important than temporary housing.'
A developing model of sustainable development
Razack explains that the journey of the Philippi Village project is far from perfect and still has a way to go. But its community-rooted, flexible approach offers vital insights into how urban spaces in low-income areas can be developed with the people they serve, not just around them.
Razack ascertains that the organisation is operating in a place of complexity. 'We are not setting up the village in a place where every day is a little bit easier,' she says.
Philippi Village hopes to remove its walls entirely and rely on design – not deterrence – for security. Until then, it remains a living example of how land, relationships and trust can form the foundation for a new kind of city building.