The housing shortage problem in South Africa is well known and well documented. Much of the housing crisis is due to the legacy of apartheid which was engineered to deeply place people classified as African, Indian and Coloured in a very disadvantaged position. South African cities were segregated along racial lines and black people were forced to live in townships which were often very far away from places of economic activity, lacked necessary public amenities and were provided with only marginal services.
After the end of apartheid, during 1994 the first democratic election which allowed people of all races to vote was held. This led to the formation of a new government led by Nelson Mandela who declared that housing for all as an “unbreakable promise”. Mr Mandela further promised that more than a million houses would be built for the poor by 1999. Section 26 of the constitution stipulates that “everyone has the right to adequate housing; the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of this right”.
Since 1994 there have been a number developments in policy and housing legislation in an attempt to resolve the housing crisis in South Africa. Some of these policies include the Housing Accord and Housing White Paper of 1994; the National Housing Subsidy Scheme (“HSS”) of 1994; the Constitution of South Africa in 1996; the Housing Act of 1997; the National Housing Code of 2000; Breaking New Ground (“BNG”) of 2004, the Social Housing Act of 2008; the National Development Plan of 2012; and the Megaprojects and Mining Towns Plan of 2014. These documents provide a sound basis in understanding governments attitude to housing and how that has evolved over the last 26 years. Is the RLRP an effective intervention as a solution for the housing shortage crisis in South Africa?
RAPID LAND RELEASE PROGRAMME FOR HOUSING DELIVERY IN SOUTH AFRICA
