- Municipal Planning Tribunal to consider objections to the proposed development on Tuesday.
- Objectors say the land-use application does not provide enough information for an informed planning decision.
- Legal Resources Centre will represent the Housing Assembly and Foxglove before the tribunal.
Questions about the water and electricity requirements of a proposed hyperscale data centre in Cape Town will come under the spotlight on Tuesday, 14 July 2016, when the City of Cape Town Municipal Planning Tribunal considers objections to the development.
At the same time, members of the Housing Assembly will demonstrate outside the Cape Town Civic Centre while the Tribunal hears objections online.
The Legal Resources Centre (LRC) will represent the Housing Assembly, a social movement representing more than 20 communities across the Western Cape, and a UK-based technology justice organisation, Foxglove. The objections relate to a land-use application for a proposed 174 MVA hyperscale data centre at King Air Industria.
According to the objectors, they are not asking the City to disregard the role that digital infrastructure may play in South Africa’s development. Instead, they argue that the City should not decide on the application without sufficient information to understand who may be affected, what resources the development will require and what environmental consequences may follow.
Objectors seek more information
The Housing Assembly and Foxglove argue that the publicly available application does not provide adequate information about water consumption, electricity demand, emissions, diesel generators and fuel storage, air pollution, cooling systems, or the design and scale of the proposed buildings.
They say the application is accompanied by a 24-page motivational letter, but that it does not provide enough detail for the City, affected communities or interested parties to assess the development’s likely effects.
The objectors have asked the City to decline to consider the application in its current form and require the developers to provide the information they say is missing.
According to a statement from the LRC, the proposed development is expected to comprise two large data centre buildings with a combined projected electricity requirement described in the available documents as up to 174 MVA or 174 MW. The objectors note that these units measure different aspects of electrical demand and cannot be used interchangeably.
Communities question resource demand
The Housing Assembly says the absence of clear information about water and electricity consumption is a central concern for communities that experienced Cape Town’s 2017 and 2018 drought and the ongoing threat of loadshedding.
According to the statement, data centres of the proposed size require electricity to power their servers. The servers require cooling systems to prevent overheating, and the cooling technology relies on a steady supply of water to operate.
The objectors argue that without information about the proposed cooling system, water source and expected consumption, communities cannot assess whether the development may place additional pressure on Cape Town’s water and electricity supply infrastructure.
They also say these concerns are important for people who have experienced electricity disconnections, rising electricity tariffs, water shortages and unreliable access to basic services.
Public participation concerns
The Housing Assembly says many residents first became aware of the proposed development through community organisations and media reports rather than through a meaningful public engagement process.
Community representatives have called for residents to be informed about the infrastructure the proposed data centre will require, what its effects may be and whether surrounding communities will receive any benefit.
The statement says meaningful public participation requires people to have access to complete, understandable and relevant information before they are asked to comment on a proposed development.
The LRC says its submissions will focus on whether the City can properly consider the land-use application when important information about the scale and consequences of the proposed development remains absent from the public record.
The objectors maintain that the City should not approve or advance the application in its present form and are asking it to require sufficient information to allow for what they describe as a rational, informed and transparent planning process.
Digital infrastructure expansion
The matter comes at a time when South Africa is expanding its digital infrastructure. President Cyril Ramaphosa said during the 2026 State of the Nation Address that 55 data centres had already been built in South Africa and that more than R50 billion in digital infrastructure investment was expected over the following three years.
The statement says investment in digital infrastructure may support connectivity, economic activity and technological development, but adds that the speed and scale of this growth make effective planning, transparency and public oversight increasingly important.
It also says the government should prioritise the drafting of a legislative and regulatory framework for the digital ecosystem before the sector expands further.
Equinix says it did not submit the application
According to the statement, Equinix said it completed the purchase of land in Cape Town but did not itself submit the planning applications connected to the site.
The company said that, should it proceed with the development, it would provide detailed information to relevant stakeholders and remain transparent.
The Housing Assembly and Foxglove say their objection concerns the land use application connected to the proposed development at King Air Industria and the information currently available to the public through that process.
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