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

7. Access to Housing: The Main End Goal of Urban Development Policies
7.1.1. Public Land Acquired under Apartheid
The land owned by the government was primarily purchased during apartheid,
and is located alongside the townships. Publicly-owned land is mostly held by the
Department of Land Affairs, the provinces, and municipalities. This land available to the
government to host struggling populations is extensive and located around the edges
of cities. Much of the land in the Soweto township has, for example, continued to be
developed after apartheid.
7.1.2. Municipal Responsibility and the Purchase of Land
When it comes to producing housing for poor households, the municipalities
have been responsible for identifying and providing appropriate land since 1994. In the
first possible situation, publicly-owned land is available and fits the project’s
characteristics. When this is the case, either the national and provincial governments
cede land to the municipality or the municipality itself owns the land. If no publicly-owned
land is available, the municipality must attempt to acquire land, which it can buy from
the private sector. Land prices are such that the land purchased is very often located
quite far from cities’ centres of activity.
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One must also note that, even when it is municipal land, the municipality may
deliberately chose outlying and difficultly accessible tracts of land. First, there is
the constraint of promoters who wish to take advantage of economies of scale and
therefore build on near-industrial scale. Then, the municipalities need to manage their
budgets, and there is no short-term financial advantage for the city in giving away land
in a good location rather than exploiting it and selling it to private investors. Thus, the
municipalities’ financial strategies often push them to sell land in good locations that
could have been used for the production of settlements for disadvantaged people in
the middle of urban activity.
7.1.3. The First Stirrings of Land Acquisition Strategies
Despite land selection that seems rather unplanned because it relies on
instantaneous selection criteria, the government seems to be aware of the need to
continue to acquire land so as to foster the inclusion of struggling populations. With
Integrating Poor Populations in South African Cities © AFD 2009