The City of Cape Town says a report on the Good Hope Centre sale will go before the relevant Council structure after the highest bidder asked for formal clarity about the transaction.
Pastor John Anosike, representing St John Holdings (Pty) Ltd and New World Faith Ministries, said the entities had not received written notice that their R135 million bid had been rejected or that the process had ended. The City has not announced a final buyer.
City Reviews Due-Diligence Findings
The landmark property fetched a highest bid of R135 million at a public auction on 26 February 2026. The City Council had approved the precinct’s release in principle on 4 December 2025.
However, the municipality said shortly after the auction that it had not formally accepted any bid. Officials began checking bidders’ financial capacity, tax compliance, ownership information and other requirements.
The City said on Monday that it was “currently considering the outcome of an external due diligence process” into the Good Hope Centre sale bidding process.
It added that a full report would serve before the relevant Council structure. However, the City did not provide a date and declined to discuss individual bidders while it considers the findings.
Anosike’s letter followed remarks by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis during a Radio 786 interview. Hill-Lewis said the highest bidder appeared unable to provide the money and that the property could move to the second-highest bidder.
The mayor described the second bidder as a Muslim institution. Earlier reports placed that bid at R130 million, which was R5 million below the highest offer.
The bidder disputed the public account. Anosike’s entities said they had received no formal notice that they had failed any condition of the Good Hope Centre sale.
“To the best of our knowledge, we have not failed to meet the requirements communicated to us by the City,” the letter said.
City Rules Require Written Final Decisions
The City’s Supply Chain Management Policy says successful and unsuccessful bidders must receive written notification once a final award has been made. It also states that no rights accrue to a successful bidder until the City formally accepts the bid in writing.
The policy gives the Bid Adjudication Committee responsibility for considering recommendations and making a final award, or recommending another course to the City Manager. Therefore, the available information does not establish that the City has made a final award.
GOOD Party secretary-general Brett Herron said Hill-Lewis should explain how he could comment on the likely outcome while the process remained under consideration.
Herron argued that political office-bearers should not participate in bid adjudication. The party said it would lodge an objection with the City Manager and submit a complaint to the Public Protector.
The GOOD Party has also repeated its broader opposition to the Good Hope Centre sale, arguing that the publicly owned site should remain available for public development.
For now, the City has declined to identify a confirmed buyer or disclose the due-diligence findings. The Council report will mark the next formal step in the disputed process.