Integrating Poor Populations in South African Cities - Agence ...

1. An Urban History of South Africa: From 1652 to the Present
initiatives 19 emerged and were progressively acknowledged by the Department of
Housing that took the initiatives into account by slightly amending the Housing Act. This
public assistance system, still largely in force today, will be presented in greater detail
in Part Three.
1.2.4. Very Positive Quantitative Results but Qualitative Limitations Demanded
a New Direction
This housing policy, which began in 1994 and endeavoured to produce a large
number of houses for private ownership very rapidly, made it possible to provide homes
to poor people in a remarkable way. Indeed, the government of South Africa spent 29.5
billion rand 20 in ten years and enabled the construction of 1.6 million RDP houses.
This system made it possible to house thousands of families and automatically ensured
access to essential utilities (water and electricity). This policy was developed in response
to the urgency of the situation, and it can be compared to the “politique des grand
ensembles” (large ensembles policy) elaborated in France at the end of the 1950s. In
response to the rural exodus and the major urbanization phase, the French government
developed centralized measures to produce decent housing for urban workers very
rapidly and inexpensively. These measures led to the construction of outlying, purely
residential neighbourhoods, large towers and buildings containing social housing units.
Thus, faced with the need to take rapid action and house people in acceptable
sanitary conditions, South Africa created these RDP houses. However, despite laudable
quantitative results, limits were reached. First, in order to allow a maximum of households
to receive the subsidy, the amount granted was small: this brought about
standardization and poor architectural quality for houses. In addition, in order to
reduce costs, the promoters wanted to build homes on the large scale and on
outlying tracts of land. This policy of providing RDP houses was rapidly criticized and
its approach was seen as too liberal. 21 Indeed, the government was supposed to have
a facilitating role, and the provision of housing was concretely carried by the private
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19. Primarily initiatives by NGOs that seek to mitigate the uniformity of the public housing policy.
20. 29.5 billion rand = 2.3 billion euros.
21. Housing assistance was initially supposed to make up 5% of the total state budget but was in fact reduced
to 1.4%.
© AFD 2009 Integrating Poor Populations in South African Cities