At about 5am, activists from Reclaim the City gathered outside Zille’s official residence Leeuwenhof to air their grievances regarding the rezoning application for the Helen Bowden Nursing home as well as the Somerset Hospital Precinct area.
The activists and current residents the nursing home, which they have renamed to Ahmed Kathrada House in Sea Point wants Zille to suspend the provincial Department of Transport and Public Works' rezoning application, and say sustainable living should also be considered when rezoning the area.
About fifty protestors stood outside Leeuwenhof in the cold, singing and chanting, calling the premier to address them, but their calls went unanswered.
In a statement, Reclaim the City said the main aim of the protest was to get the province to listen to the people and consider all factors pertaining to spatial planning, including low cost housing for poor workers serving businesses and families in areas like Sea Point and Greenpoint.
However the premier was not home and is in fact out of town.
Zille tweeted protesters asking them to contact her offices and set up a meeting so they could discuss their problems with her.
Her spokesman Michael Mpofu said the Premier has agreed to meet the protesters later on Thursday “to hear what they have to present.”