Bonteheuwel Bridge tunnels ignite Cape Town housing debate

The tunnels were reportedly a problem in 2024.

The discovery of tunnels allegedly dug by homeless people beneath the Bonteheuwel Bridge has triggered a political clash over whether the situation reflects a housing emergency or the refusal of some homeless individuals to accept assistance.

GOOD Party politician Brett Herron has blamed Cape Town’s housing crisis, while Bonteheuwel councillor Angus McKenzie insists the real problem is people refusing to remain in designated safe spaces.

The controversy erupted after illegal digging beneath the bridge damaged the road surface along Jakes Gerwel Drive, forcing the City of Cape Town to close two southbound lanes between Bofors Circle and the N2 highway.

The City became aware of the damage on Friday evening, and repair teams worked throughout the weekend. Two lanes were closed on Sunday evening, with repairs expected to continue until the end of the week.

Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas, said people appeared to have been removing sand beneath the bridge to create sleeping spaces.

“People have been digging out the sand under the Bonteheuwel Bridge to create space for living and sleeping, it seems,” Quintas said.

The tunnels are being used to sleep in at night but are vacant during the day

Herron accused the DA-led City and Western Cape government of neglecting communities on the Cape Flats while prioritising development elsewhere.

“People are building tunnels to live in on the Cape Flats because the DA-led city and Western Cape Province have prioritised developing other parts of Cape Town while effectively abandoning people on the Cape Flats to fend for themselves,” Herron said.

He pointed to Cape Town’s estimated housing backlog of nearly 500 000 homes and questioned why the City, which he said holds R15.5 billion in cash and cash equivalents, has failed to do more for vulnerable residents.

Herron also claimed approximately 3000 households join the housing waiting list monthly, while the City has delivered an average of only 2500 state-funded homes annually over the past five years.

But McKenzie rejected the suggestion that the tunnels were evidence of a housing crisis, arguing that efforts had previously been made to relocate people living beneath the bridge.

“The last time this happened, we offered to relocate the people under the bridge. Unfortunately, when you relocate them and put them into the safe spaces, they find their way back to these places,” McKenzie said.

He added that some individuals were unwilling to live under rules, even within their own family homes.

“One finds overwhelmingly that these people don’t want to live under some level of rules, even in their own families’ homes,” he said.

McKenzie said he had personally witnessed the settlement beneath the bridge and recalled repairs being undertaken approximately two years ago.

He expressed concern that the repeated occupation and digging beneath the structure posed serious safety risks to both the surrounding community and motorists.

“It’s not a housing crisis. These people are not even on the housing lists,” McKenzie said.

He also accused GOOD of exploiting the situation for political gain, saying the party needed to seek relevance ahead of the elections by doing meaningful work rather than making political statements.

Herron, meanwhile, argued that the City treats homelessness as a law-enforcement problem rather than addressing the underlying social and economic pressures.