Human Settlements Review - Parliamentary Monitoring Group

Human Settlements Review, Volume 1, Number 1, 2010
arrangements made to make the process smooth.
Officials mentioned the lack of procurement
policies for alternative building technologies as a
constraint that prevented their up-scaling.
Inspections
Under the Consumer Protections Act,
government has an important role of protecting
consumers from dishonest business practices.
This is a function which the Act delegates to the
National Home Builders Registration Council
(NHBRC). However, with regard to houses
constructed using alternative building material
and systems, there is misalignment as Agrément
South Africa is not often invited to inspect the
use of alternative building technologies in
government housing projects. Therefore, though
inspections might be carried out by qualified
engineers, they are not always undertaken by
officials who understand the comprehensive
certification conditions the material or system
carries. Provinces also indicated that their own
in-house inspectors were not experienced in
the quality assurance of alternative building
materials as not all materials would have known
‘look outs’ that gives an indication of the quality
and strength of the structure.
4 Conclusion
The fact that alternative building technologies
have not taken root in provincial housing projects
is indicative of the complexity of changing
people’s mindsets, and multiplicities in dealing
with these technologies. Efforts to up-scale
alternative building technologies in provincial
housing projects should therefore be done with
due consideration of these intricacies, and an
awareness that it demands a comprehensive
multi-pronged strategy.
5 References
Burnett, P. 2007. Eco-friendly green housing bumps against red tape. Science in Africa. March 2007.
National Department of Housing (2003). The extent which alternative building technologies are used
in low cost housing projects and their socio-economic impact on beneficiaries.
National Department of Housing (2008). Going to scale with Alternative Building Technologies in
South Africa: a Progress Report.
National Department of Human Settlements (2010). Updating existing knowledge on the usage of
alternative building technologies in housing construction.
Statistics South Africa (2007). Community Survey 2007.
Statistics South Africa (2010). Quarterly Labour Force Survey.
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