GOOD Statement by Axolile Notywala, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor:
The GOOD Party is outraged by the shocking events that unfolded outside the DCI Goodwood Social Housing complex on Friday, 10 October 2025, where tenants were subjected to illegal lockouts, gunfire, and intimidation.
On Friday afternoon, tenants at the Goodwood Social Housing complex were threatened with illegal evictions and lease cancellations. Later that evening, during a peaceful solidarity protest, DCI management and private security responded with hostility. GOOD councillors witnessed four gunshots fired into the air, less than 20 metres from the protest, in an apparent attempt to intimidate tenants and activists. Earlier, a group of men dressed in dark clothing, reportedly the same individuals accused of intimidating residents and previously assaulting a young woman tenant, arrived at the scene armed with baseball bats.
Despite repeated calls for help, the South African Police Service (SAPS) failed to respond for nearly five hours. When they eventually arrived, DCI’s private security instructed officers not to intervene, citing a lawyer’s letter dated 22 July 2025. The police stood down, and the protest ended only after 1am, with one tenant still locked out of her home.
On Saturday morning, following growing outrage, the local station commander took decisive action, collecting statements from trapped tenants, including kidnapping complaints against DCI management. After his intervention, security was ordered to restore residents’ freedom of movement.
This partial victory was made possible by the courage and solidarity of activists from Khayelitsha, Woodstock, Sea Point, and across Cape Town who stood firm even after shots were fired. But this is far from over. The events at DCI Goodwood are not an isolated incident; they are a warning of what happens when social housing is captured by greed and impunity.
This violence came just days after the City of Cape Town publicly celebrated DCI’s International Project Management Association (IPMA) award for excellence in project delivery. While officials applauded the achievement, tenants were being locked out, threatened, and even trapped inside their homes by the very institution meant to protect their right to decent housing.
Behind the awards and speeches lies a disturbing truth that social housing in Cape Town is being turned into a site of exploitation, fear, and profit, rather than dignity, care, and fairness for low-income families.
The GOOD Party stands firmly with tenants who are resisting intimidation and defending their homes. DCI’s actions are not only immoral, they are criminal. No award or PR campaign can mask the reality: DCI has turned a public good into a private fiefdom of intimidation and fear.
We will continue to expose these injustices, demand accountability from both DCI and the City of Cape Town, and fight for the protection and dignity of every tenant.
GOOD Representation: The party has representation in the Cape Town City Council.
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