Affordable housing is on the cards for a provincially owned property near the Cape Town CBD -- which has seen major protests calling for exactly that. But Western Cape Premier Helen Zille said if processes could be streamlined and sped up, the province could provide affordable housing for up to 25% of people on the province's housing waiting list.

The Old Conradie Hospital in Pinelands, Cape Town, has finally been given the green light to be transformed into social housing, said the Western Cape government on Wednesday afternoon.

At a press briefing after a provincial cabinet session, Western Cape premier Helen Zille described the decision to get the housing under way as a "big, big day for us".

The provincially owned old Conradie Hospital in Pinelands, about 12km from the city centre will see 3,602 new residential units built -- including 1,764 units specifically for grant-funded, affordable housing.

The first phase of housing is expected to be completed within two to three years, and construction is expected to start at the end of 2019, said Donald Grant, MEC for Transport and Public Works.

Additionally, there are plans for commercial space, recreational spaces and two...