en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Cape Town Municipal Planning Tribunal has approved a land use change application, clearing an early planning hurdle for US data center operator Equinix's project in South Africa's legislative capital.
The tribunal granted the request from landowner King David Country Club to rezone, subdivide, and consolidate three plots of land in the King Air Industria industrial area near Cape Town International Airport. Two of the plots were originally zoned for general industrial use, and one for mixed use. The application sought to unify the three plots under general industrial zoning and consolidate them into a single lot, while also requiring amendments to the 2019 condition capping the gross floor area at 300,000 square meters, and involving a small land swap with the municipality, including a substation.
In its approval, the tribunal noted that the rezoning, subdivision, and consolidation were "unlikely to have a negative impact on the environment or character of the surrounding area," and emphasized the positive socio-economic impact of the approval, which would create jobs, support digital infrastructure and downstream industries, promote urban integration, and facilitate optimal land development in areas already supported by existing policies and frameworks.
The approval comes with several conditions. Before submitting building plans, a Site Development Plan must be submitted, accompanied by proof confirming that the proposed data center falls within the scope of an already approved Environmental Authorisation. Additionally, conditions relate to land use management, water resource management, and electricity services. All conditions must be met to maintain the granted approval.
In June this year, Equinix told Reuters it had not yet submitted a planning application for the Cape Town data center but had completed land purchases in the city. Therefore, the rezoning application was submitted by landowner King David Country Club. The land acquisition dates back to the end of March 2026, when Equinix South Africa Managing Director Sandile Dube stated that the company had invested 890 million South African rand (approximately $52 million) in land in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Detailed construction plans for the proposed Cape Town data center have not yet been announced.
Equinix told Reuters last month that if it decides to proceed with any development, it is committed to full transparency and will provide detailed information to all relevant stakeholders in a timely manner. These commitments stem from civil society opposition, with critics concerned that the data center could impact local energy and water security. Objections were raised by Housing Assembly in Cape Town and Foxglove in the UK, with legal advice provided by the Legal Resources Centre. They argued that the application lacked critical details needed to assess water usage, electricity demand, emissions, and backup generation. The tribunal stated that these issues would be addressed in the Site Development Plan, which still requires approval.
Equinix plans to add 160 megawatts of additional capacity in South Africa as part of a 7.5 billion South African rand ($438 million) investment, aiming to capitalize on the growing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud services in the country and the broader African continent. The company opened its first data center in Johannesburg in October 2024, with an initial IT load of 4 megawatts, expanding to 20 megawatts upon full completion. Equinix's website shows that the Johannesburg site is already 100% powered by renewable energy.
