The future of the smallholder farmers’ market in Mowbray hangs in the balance after the City of Cape Town announced plans to auction off the property.
The Mowbray Market has been operating for four years on the first Saturday of every month. The site is city-owned and is leased by Gordon’s Gym next to the Liesbeek River. The lease has since expired, and the city plans to auction off the property in a “competitive process”.
“This market is a big help for me and my community. If we don’t have this market, I don’t know what is going to happen to us,” said Elsie Sauls, a small-scale farmer and seed saver from Zolani in Ashton.
Market sustains rural communities
The market is hosted by Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE), Rural Women’s Assembly, the Inyanda National Land Rights Movement, and Mawubuye Land Rights Forum. The aim is to promote and empower smallholder farmers and local producers from Cape Town and rural towns as far as Genadendal, Suurbraak and Calitzdorp.
The vendors pay no fees, and they are provided with transport to Cape Town. For some, the market is their main source of income. At the market, you will find organic vegetables, homemade food, plants, honey, fynbos, handmade soaps and more.
Robbie Andrews from the TCOE said they approached the City last year about the possibility of leasing the property.
The market takes place on the field opposite Gordon’s Gym. Photo: Liezl Human
In correspondence from 2025 seen by GroundUp, City officials initially considered a suggestion by TCOE to consolidate three proposals from the market, Gordon’s Gym and a nearby bicycle shop.
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The market envisioned expanding to include more vendors from partner organisations and hosting the market weekly. They also wanted to use the inside of the gym during winter.
Andrews said that TCOE was spending a lot of money each month on a temporary marquee and transporting vendors from rural towns. A permanent structure and more storage on site would be beneficial, he said.
City of Cape Town plans auction
After several months of negotiations, city officials informed the TCOE that all the proposals were rejected.
City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo told GroundUp: “The city was unable to reasonably and fairly motivate for the preference of any single proposal”.
Tyhalibongo said the City is considering auctioning off the property.
He explained that the site has “split zoning”, which imposes development rights and requires formal land use approvals for any proposal. Another issue was that the site was on a 100-year floodplain, limiting future development.
Tyhalibongo said portions of the property zoned for transport could not have permanent structures built.
“The city could not fairly justify prioritising or combining proposals without compromising transparency and governance principles,” he said.
Several vendors we spoke to say they have built close relationships with the surrounding community.
Mariam Edwards, who sells Cape Malay treats, said, “I have people that come religiously every single month. This is some people’s livelihoods. This is the only income I have.”
Edwards said the market venue is convenient for people because it’s close to the main road, a taxi route and the train station.
Keshia Leonard, from the Buffeljagsbaai small-scale fishing cooperative, sells fresh fish caught by the cooperative members.
“The surrounding Mowbray community supports us and recommends it to their families,” said Leonard.
Gabor Kovacs, owner of Gordon’s Gym, said they have been leasing the property for 26 years. Despite the city recommending a ten-year lease in 2024 and the gym accepting those terms, the city is now “leaving us in legal limbo”, said Kovacs.
“Our immediate priority is demanding procedural fairness and requesting an urgent meeting with the City to pause the upcoming auction. An open public auction is an incredibly blunt tool that completely ignores our rights as historical tenants and discounts the value of the existing infrastructure on the land,” he said.
He said the uncertainty has also stalled private funding they’ve secured to upgrade the gym.
Kovacs added that he saw value in sharing the lease with TCOE and the market.
Homemade food, fresh vegetables, and other locally produced products are sold at the market. Photo: Liezl Human
- This story was first published on GroundUp.
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