On Friday, 15 August 2025, Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers handed over 20 Breaking New Ground (BNG) housing units to beneficiaries of the R113 million Bergsig housing project in Calitzdorp.
With today’s handover, 564 families have now received the keys to their new homes. By the end of August, another 92 units will be handed over, pushing the total to 656 homes delivered through this flagship project.
Minister Simmers said, “Calitzdorp has experienced rapid growth over recent years due to urbanisation and the Bergsig housing project was launched to target backyard dwellers and farm workers, many of whom previously lived in remote rural areas with limited access to essential services. This development will bring these beneficiaries closer to amenities and economic opportunities.”
This project was not without its challenges. Due to inadequate beneficiary qualification, some units were left unoccupied and became targets of vandalism and theft. There were also delays in funding for electrification of units. However, the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure (DOI) was able to accelerate the delivery of housing units by providing bridge funding for electrification in the amount of R4.8 million. The DOI also provided security on site to prevent crime and allocated an additional R1.8 million to repair units that had been vandalised.
“No project is without it’s challenges but working with our private sector partners and the Kannaland Local Municipality, we were able to deliver much-needed housing opportunities to both backyard dwellers and farm workers in the area”, said Minister Simmers. “There is a great need for housing in the Western Cape but, through cultivating strong partnerships with other spheres of government, the private sector and, most importantly, the communities we serve, we are seeing accelerated delivery of housing opportunities like never before”, he concluded.
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