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A Look into Housing Progress in South Africa Since 1994

Published October 31, 2023
1 years ago

Tackling housing for all South Africans was a pivotal goal when the African National Congress (ANC) government came to power in 1994. Nearly 30 years after, we delve into the extent of this initiative, centred around the 2022 census launched this month.


To establish a clearer image, we explored various documents issued by the government, including the censuses. While very informative, the data still exhibits severe shortcomings, particularly regarding citizens living on the street – a population difficult to accurately define.


The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), now known as Breaking New Ground (BNG), was launched by the government in 1994. Rooted in the Constitution's Section 26, which states everyone's right to access decent housing, it further obligated the state to take reasonable measures to fulfil this right.


Ambitious and optimistic, the Breaking New Ground program aimed to eradicate informal housing by the year 2014. From 1994 to February 2022, as indicated by a Department of Human Settlements report, the state has furnished roughly 5 million "housing opportunities", which are essentially houses or land plots with access to piped water and electricity. The recipients, however, must bear the cost of water, electricity and municipal rates.


Despite these efforts, as of February 2023, a challenging 2.5 million households remain on the National Housing Needs Register. In Cape Town, the number touches 375,150. Accurate reflection of actual demand, though, poses a challenge.


The state has made significant advancements since 1994, as highlighted by StatsSA's 2022 census. By attaining an 8% decrease in households living in informal housing since 1996, it is a commendable feat to celebrate.


However, progress has been sluggish, and housing needs remain a compelling task at hand. With an estimated 31% undercount in 2022 census, uncounted informal houses further underscore the immense effort required to meet Section 26 of the Constitution.



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