Empower
Empower is about building dignified, safe, sustainable and affordable housing across the country. Creating a family asset to truly empower residents, while reaffirming a sense of belonging and security within the city through ownership models.
We are working towards a democratic and equitable South Africa.
BT Soweto
Khayelitsha
BT Soweto is the first full implementation of the Empower Upgrade Model, transforming an informal settlement into a vibrant, high-density neighbourhood without displacing a single resident. The development includes 72 homes, four shops, a daycare centre, and shared public spaces—providing safe, dignified housing for 428 people and demonstrating a scalable model for inclusive urban transformation
Soweto-Caracas Community Centre
Khayelitsha
This multifunctional community hub anchors the BT Soweto development, offering essential social amenities like a soccer field, creche, rooftop food garden, and solar-powered infrastructure. Managed by the community itself, it generates income, fosters cohesion, and serves as a catalyst for social resilience—ensuring the long-term sustainability of the neighbourhood both socially and economically.
BBT Vukani
Khayelitsha
Launched in 2023, the next phase of the Empower Khayelitsha project will initially involve replicating and scaling up our Empower Upgrade Model for the benefit of over 330 residents living in the BBT Vukani Community, in Site C, Ikwezi Park – just around the corner from our Community 1 development.
Developing Infrastructure
Empower communities are being designed as decentralised, solar-powered microgrids that reduce dependence on the national energy supply. Rooftop solar systems generate electricity for local households, with surpluses sold back into the grid. Revenue is reinvested in maintenance, jobs, and education—positioning townships as energy producers and climate-smart neighbourhoods for the future.
Clara Centre
Khayelitsha
Emerging from an existing informal church in BT Soweto, the Clara Social Centre was designed to serve the community every day of the week. It supports both spiritual practice and cultural growth—offering space for worship, arts education, and youth programmes—contributing to social cohesion and filling a vital gap in township infrastructure.
Imizamo Yethu
Hout Bay
150 well-located, affordable homes on underutilised land through the Empower Upgrade Model – offering safe, dignified housing to residents of the township. As part of the broader LIFT (Local Infrastructure for Transformation) masterplan, the project bridges deep spatial inequalities in Cape Town, while laying the groundwork for an integrated, inclusive, and climate-resilient urban future.
Little Angels
Hangberg
Little Angels is a thriving grassroots institution serving vulnerable children, women, and families in Hangberg. Currently operating from temporary structures, the proposed new centre will house a creche, safehouse, feeding scheme, skills development hub, and support programmes — delivering critical care and opportunity to over 6,000 residents through a warm, inclusive, and purpose-built facility.
“Working towards the South Africa everyone deserves.”
Want to get involved?
Click here to make a donation. Choose a project, or aspect of a project that you would like to support.
*Urban Think Tank Empower is an NPC (Non Profit Company), so any donations made by private individuals, companies or trusts can be registered as a tax deductable expense.
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