Oude Molen Eco Village

The Oude Molen Eco Village was initiated in 1997 by a small group of proactive social entrepreneurs who over a period of three years transformed an abandoned and vandalised hospital complex into a micro-enterprise village.
The motivation was to alleviate poverty by pioneering a new and innovative way of maximising the potential of an underutilised public asset by providing affordable space to emerging SMEs to create employment opportunities, empower youth, promote urban agriculture and offer a variety of social and recreational activities to surrounding communities and local and international visitors while producing revenue for Provincial Government.
The Village currently hosts 42 small business enterprises that collectively employ approximately 200 people. Enterprises range from backpacker accommodation to music studios, equestrian activities, frail care services, metal, wood, art and craft workshops, public pool and braai facilities, urban agriculture, a restaurant and a school. They include educational, cultural, social and recreational amenities, and Non-Profit services for youth benefiting local communities.
The Oude Molen Eco Village Tenants Association, in partnership with the City of Cape Town Two Rivers Urban Park organisation, are the drivers of a future development proposal committed to the continued transformation of the property into Live and Work micro enterprise Eco Village.