Housing implementation in Joe Slovo residential area: its challenges and possible solutions
| dc.contributor.author | Mottie Mercia | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-11-20T09:49:13Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-11-20T09:49:13Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | After apartheid ended in 1994, South Africa anticipated better living conditions and an even better quality of life for all. However, 30 years have passed, yet many still live in informal settlements with poor conditions, waiting for the government to address inequality. The housing backlog continues to grow, prompting the re-evaluation of previous housing development plans and the launch of new strategies. This study (desktop) focuses on the housing crisis in South Africa, a major and escalating problem. The democratic government in 1996 introduced a Reconstruction and Development Programme to address, in part, the housing problems. The housing programme faced challenges like lack of local government capacity, corruption, and insufficient consultation with beneficiaries. Urbanisation exacerbated the issue as rural migrants moved to cities for employment. Nothing much has changed. The research centres on Joe Slovo, an informal settlement located on the N2 highway as part of the N2 Gateway Project. The latter was intended to be a model for housing development. This study investigates low-cost housing delivery in post-apartheid South Africa, focusing on the N2 Gateway Project. The research explores the intersection of historical socio-economic disparities, rapid urbanisation, and government efforts to address housing backlogs through developmental policies. South Africa’s housing initiatives, the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) and Breaking New Ground (BNG), aimed to correct apartheid-era spatial injustices; however, these policies often encountered limitations in practical application, notably due to bureaucratic constraints, limited local government resources, and inconsistent community engagement. The N2 Gateway Project exemplifies these challenges and serves as a case study for evaluating the effectiveness of low-cost housing initiatives. Key findings indicate that despite significant progress in subsidised housing provision, systemic issues hamper sustainable housing development. The N2 Gateway project challenges include inadequate community involvement, high construction costs, bureaucratic delays, and poor-quality infrastructure in some housing units. Nonetheless, successes have been noted, such as the creation of local employment opportunities, environmentally sustainable elements like solar water heaters, and partial alleviation of housing shortages. These outcomes underscore the importance of fostering a transparent, community-driven approach in housing projects to improve acceptance and reduce social resistance. The study's recommendations highlight the need for stronger policy frameworks, which include enforceable guidelines for community participation and enhanced local government accountability in housing projects. Strengthening local government through better resource allocation and training in project management, community engagement, and transparent governance could reduce corruption, accelerate project timelines, and improve housing quality. Additionally, an incremental, flexible approach to informal settlement upgrading is recommended to address immediate needs without the social upheaval associated with large- scale relocations. Implications for practice suggest that municipalities adopt dynamic, iterative planning tools like the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) to coordinate housing and service delivery in high- htps://uwcscholar.uwc.ac.za/home iv growth urban areas efficiently. Future research should focus on the long-term socio-economic impacts of housing projects on residents, assess the effectiveness of decentralised governance, and examine the sustainability of housing initiatives concerning social and environmental outcomes. In conclusion, this study emphasises that overcoming South Africa’s housing challenges requires an inclusive, community-centred approach that addresses both housing needs and broader socio-economic goals. Enhanced intergovernmental cooperation, a refined focus on incremental upgrades, and an increased emphasis on community engagement are essential for creating equitable urban environments. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10566/21442 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Western Cape | |
| dc.subject | Housing implementation | |
| dc.subject | Challenges | |
| dc.subject | the right to housing | |
| dc.subject | major backlog | |
| dc.subject | low-income South African citizens | |
| dc.title | Housing implementation in Joe Slovo residential area: its challenges and possible solutions | |
| dc.type | Thesis |