Raquel Rolnik Special Rapporteur Adequate housing solution
A lot can be found about Raquel Rolnik, the problem for us is how to get hold of her?
Secondly, it does not take a rocket scientist to tell the world there is a shortage of homes and slums must be eradicated.
To us the the real issue is to propose a solution, not to highlight the problem.
http://www.moladi.net/
Keywords: - Raquel Rolnik, architect, urban planner, Raquel Rolnik, Special Rapporteur, right, Adequate housing, contact by @ mail, email, housing solution, urbanista, professora, Faculdade de Arquitetura, Urbanismo da Universidade, São Paulo, UN Housing shortage, UN Housing Solution, homeless
Affordable housing shortage 'stifles market'
Affordable housing shortage 'stifles market' - South Africa
Lack of affordable housing was a major obstacle to sustained demand in the housing sector and could lead to the slowing of house price growth to single digits later this year, a property group said yesterday."Without growing demand, price growth will decline," Harcourts Africa said. Chief executive Martin Schultheiss said the South African market's greatest need was in the essential buying category. "People need an affordable roof over their heads, as opposed to leisure or speculative buying."It was not only essential that greater volumes of affordable units were brought to market, not only for prospective owner-buyers but also for the affordable rental market, where better stock levels would spur greater investment."The household sector remains under pressure, with the latest figures showing the ratio of debt to disposable income still at nearly 80 percent," Schultheiss said. While this painted a rather bleak picture for prospective home owners, especially at the lowest end of the market, it also meant that they would be looking for affordable rental homes if they could not muster the finances to buy their own.
"Developers would do well to take note of this need and adapt development plans to cater for this sector."Although affordability is a common denominator, property investors are also looking for additional features - and developers who want to tap into this market should take heed."Schultheiss said investors wanted compact properties with easy access and hard-wearing surfaces for easy maintenance. "Tenants typically occupy units for an average of two years and landlords are keen to keep refurbishment costs to a minimum at the end of a lease period."Investors might also prefer built-in appliances and pre-paid meters for electricity. "And of course affordable units with low maintenance requirements would find favour among owner-buyers too," he added.
Keywords: - affordable housing, house price growth, development, affordable rental homes, South Africa, property investors, property group, moladi, formwork, construction, market, reduce
Lack of affordable housing was a major obstacle to sustained demand in the housing sector and could lead to the slowing of house price growth to single digits later this year, a property group said yesterday."Without growing demand, price growth will decline," Harcourts Africa said. Chief executive Martin Schultheiss said the South African market's greatest need was in the essential buying category. "People need an affordable roof over their heads, as opposed to leisure or speculative buying."It was not only essential that greater volumes of affordable units were brought to market, not only for prospective owner-buyers but also for the affordable rental market, where better stock levels would spur greater investment."The household sector remains under pressure, with the latest figures showing the ratio of debt to disposable income still at nearly 80 percent," Schultheiss said. While this painted a rather bleak picture for prospective home owners, especially at the lowest end of the market, it also meant that they would be looking for affordable rental homes if they could not muster the finances to buy their own.
"Developers would do well to take note of this need and adapt development plans to cater for this sector."Although affordability is a common denominator, property investors are also looking for additional features - and developers who want to tap into this market should take heed."Schultheiss said investors wanted compact properties with easy access and hard-wearing surfaces for easy maintenance. "Tenants typically occupy units for an average of two years and landlords are keen to keep refurbishment costs to a minimum at the end of a lease period."Investors might also prefer built-in appliances and pre-paid meters for electricity. "And of course affordable units with low maintenance requirements would find favour among owner-buyers too," he added.
Keywords: - affordable housing, house price growth, development, affordable rental homes, South Africa, property investors, property group, moladi, formwork, construction, market, reduce
Zuma housing fund not functioning - Coovadia
Zuma affordable housing fund not functioning: “exists only in theory” Coovadia said
Cape Town - Incompetent municipalities were behind much of the housing backlog in the country, Cas Coovadia, chief executive of the Banking Association of South Africa (Basa), told members of the parliamentary standing committee on finance. He added that President Jacob Zuma’s billion rand guarantee fund for housing “exists only in theory”. A meeting on this fund had not yet been held with Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale to finalise details.
The R1bn guarantee fund for affordable housing was announced by Zuma in his State of the Nation address this year. This fund is intended to help prospective homebuyers who earn too much for a state-subsidised house and too little for a bank home loan.
Coovadia said the fund existed only in theory and that South Africa had a shortfall of about 600 000 affordable houses for households earning between R3 500 and R15 000 a month.
He berated municipalities for no longer being able to build affordable houses.
He said that the banking sector had been criticised for not providing sufficient finance for housing but, even should the government give a 100% guarantee, this would not help if the houses could not be built in the first place.
About 120 000 affordable houses need to be built a year, he pointed out, but for the past three years only about 80 000 houses have been built each year.
The primary problem was the incapacity of municipalities, he said.
Five years ago finalising municipal regulations around house construction, such as issuing certificates of approval for developments, took 30 months. It currently takes a municipality 48 months to issue such certificates.
Affordable housing developers are simply withdrawing from projects.
Coovadia also rejected criticism from committee members that commercial banks were not advancing enough to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
He lambasted development financiers like Khula, which now wants to compete directly with commercial banks using its Khula Direct model – rather than developing a plan to provide security for those without collateral but with a good business plan.
The ANC’s Zephroma Dubazana said she had been under the impression that commercial banks used taxpayers’ money from the government fiscus, and were therefore obliged to help small enterprises.
Coovadia had to explain the difference between money from the fiscus, as in the case of Khula, and private deposits kept by commercial banks on the public’s behalf.
On Wednesday the committee will meet with the financial sector transformation council.
Keywords: - Cape Town, Cas Coovadia, banking Association, build affordable houses, R1bn guarantee fund, incapacity of municipalities, concrete homes, moladi, formwork, solution, deskill, Khula, Zephroma Dubazana, president Jacob Zuma, Tokyo Sexwale, shortfall
Cape Town - Incompetent municipalities were behind much of the housing backlog in the country, Cas Coovadia, chief executive of the Banking Association of South Africa (Basa), told members of the parliamentary standing committee on finance. He added that President Jacob Zuma’s billion rand guarantee fund for housing “exists only in theory”. A meeting on this fund had not yet been held with Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale to finalise details.
The R1bn guarantee fund for affordable housing was announced by Zuma in his State of the Nation address this year. This fund is intended to help prospective homebuyers who earn too much for a state-subsidised house and too little for a bank home loan.
Coovadia said the fund existed only in theory and that South Africa had a shortfall of about 600 000 affordable houses for households earning between R3 500 and R15 000 a month.
He berated municipalities for no longer being able to build affordable houses.
He said that the banking sector had been criticised for not providing sufficient finance for housing but, even should the government give a 100% guarantee, this would not help if the houses could not be built in the first place.
About 120 000 affordable houses need to be built a year, he pointed out, but for the past three years only about 80 000 houses have been built each year.
The primary problem was the incapacity of municipalities, he said.
Five years ago finalising municipal regulations around house construction, such as issuing certificates of approval for developments, took 30 months. It currently takes a municipality 48 months to issue such certificates.
Affordable housing developers are simply withdrawing from projects.
Coovadia also rejected criticism from committee members that commercial banks were not advancing enough to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
He lambasted development financiers like Khula, which now wants to compete directly with commercial banks using its Khula Direct model – rather than developing a plan to provide security for those without collateral but with a good business plan.
The ANC’s Zephroma Dubazana said she had been under the impression that commercial banks used taxpayers’ money from the government fiscus, and were therefore obliged to help small enterprises.
Coovadia had to explain the difference between money from the fiscus, as in the case of Khula, and private deposits kept by commercial banks on the public’s behalf.
On Wednesday the committee will meet with the financial sector transformation council.
Keywords: - Cape Town, Cas Coovadia, banking Association, build affordable houses, R1bn guarantee fund, incapacity of municipalities, concrete homes, moladi, formwork, solution, deskill, Khula, Zephroma Dubazana, president Jacob Zuma, Tokyo Sexwale, shortfall
RDP houses 80 Percent of occupied illegally
80 Percent of RDP houses occupied illegally
Preliminary results of an investigation into the tenancy of RDP houses in Philippi’s Samora Machel suburb, which started a week ago, has found that only about 20 percent of those occupying RDP houses are the rightful beneficiaries.
About half of the over 4000 RDP houses built in the area have been surveyed so far, said Samora Machel ward councillor Monwabisi Mbaliswano on Tuesday.
Mbaliswano said 20 community members supported by the provincial Human Settlement Department, were going door-to-door and requesting the property title deeds.
The Samora Machel investigation, and a parallel investigation in Khayelitsha’s Mandela Park, was launched by the department three weeks ago after Development Forum executive committee members noted that many people who had been allocated RDP houses sold them before the national Human Settlement Department’s moratorium on the sale of state-subsidised houses by beneficiaries had lapsed.
Mbaliswano said according to preliminary results of the investigation in Samora Machel, residents who received RDP houses sometimes sold them due to poor building standards or to raise money for things such as burying relatives or relocating back to the Eastern Cape.
“We have found out that some of the beneficiaries had sold their houses and are now living in informal settlements and have re-registered in the housing department database,” he said.
Mbaliswano said most of the people who had bought RDP houses had no title deeds to prove it was their house, and only had affidavits from the police.
Zalisile Mbali, spokesperson for Human Settlement MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, confirmed the investigations into RDP house tenancy were ongoing.
“Most of the people who were allocated houses seem to be going back to living in shacks while some are reported to be living in the Eastern Cape,” said Mbali.
However, he said he could not yet say what would happen to people who were illegally occupying RDP houses.
But Mbali dismissed Mbaliswano’s figure of 80 percent illegal tenancy, saying: “We don’t know where the figures come from because the survey is not yet done. We will table the results once they are ready”.
Keywords: - RDP houses, Human Settlement Department’s, Bonginkosi Madikizela, Zalisile Mbali, poor building standards, concrete homes, western Cape
Preliminary results of an investigation into the tenancy of RDP houses in Philippi’s Samora Machel suburb, which started a week ago, has found that only about 20 percent of those occupying RDP houses are the rightful beneficiaries.
About half of the over 4000 RDP houses built in the area have been surveyed so far, said Samora Machel ward councillor Monwabisi Mbaliswano on Tuesday.
Mbaliswano said 20 community members supported by the provincial Human Settlement Department, were going door-to-door and requesting the property title deeds.
The Samora Machel investigation, and a parallel investigation in Khayelitsha’s Mandela Park, was launched by the department three weeks ago after Development Forum executive committee members noted that many people who had been allocated RDP houses sold them before the national Human Settlement Department’s moratorium on the sale of state-subsidised houses by beneficiaries had lapsed.
Mbaliswano said according to preliminary results of the investigation in Samora Machel, residents who received RDP houses sometimes sold them due to poor building standards or to raise money for things such as burying relatives or relocating back to the Eastern Cape.
“We have found out that some of the beneficiaries had sold their houses and are now living in informal settlements and have re-registered in the housing department database,” he said.
Mbaliswano said most of the people who had bought RDP houses had no title deeds to prove it was their house, and only had affidavits from the police.
Zalisile Mbali, spokesperson for Human Settlement MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, confirmed the investigations into RDP house tenancy were ongoing.
“Most of the people who were allocated houses seem to be going back to living in shacks while some are reported to be living in the Eastern Cape,” said Mbali.
However, he said he could not yet say what would happen to people who were illegally occupying RDP houses.
But Mbali dismissed Mbaliswano’s figure of 80 percent illegal tenancy, saying: “We don’t know where the figures come from because the survey is not yet done. We will table the results once they are ready”.
Keywords: - RDP houses, Human Settlement Department’s, Bonginkosi Madikizela, Zalisile Mbali, poor building standards, concrete homes, western Cape
RDP house rented as shop
MEC throws man out RDP house:RDP house rented as shop
RDP house rented as shop
Mafikeng - A man running a shop from an RDP home he was renting in Coligny was thrown out of the house by a visiting North West MEC, her department said on Tuesday.Human Settlements MEC Desbo Mohono gave the businessman 14 days to remove his belongings from the house, which had allegedly been turned into a tuck shop illegally."Mohono made this startling discovery during her visit to Tlhabologang township at Coligny to assess progress on the 54 houses that were being constructed in the area," her department said in a statement.Mohono apparently told the businessman the house was intended for its rightful owner and not supposed to be a tuck shop."These houses belong to the needy. We will not allow people to use them for personal profit."The businessman told officials the owner of the house lived on the surrounding farms and that he paid him a monthly rental of R700.Mohono said after the businessman had been evicted the owner would be de-registered and the house given to another beneficiary on the housing waiting list.She indicated the owner would never get a government-sponsored house again.Department officials were attempting to find the owner before re-registering the house to a new beneficiary.
Keywords - RDP home, rdp housing, HOP huise, MEC Desbo Mohono, Human Settlements, beneficiary, towship, moladi solution, concrete home, formwork construction, rural housing solution, training, job creation
RDP house rented as shop
Mafikeng - A man running a shop from an RDP home he was renting in Coligny was thrown out of the house by a visiting North West MEC, her department said on Tuesday.Human Settlements MEC Desbo Mohono gave the businessman 14 days to remove his belongings from the house, which had allegedly been turned into a tuck shop illegally."Mohono made this startling discovery during her visit to Tlhabologang township at Coligny to assess progress on the 54 houses that were being constructed in the area," her department said in a statement.Mohono apparently told the businessman the house was intended for its rightful owner and not supposed to be a tuck shop."These houses belong to the needy. We will not allow people to use them for personal profit."The businessman told officials the owner of the house lived on the surrounding farms and that he paid him a monthly rental of R700.Mohono said after the businessman had been evicted the owner would be de-registered and the house given to another beneficiary on the housing waiting list.She indicated the owner would never get a government-sponsored house again.Department officials were attempting to find the owner before re-registering the house to a new beneficiary.
Keywords - RDP home, rdp housing, HOP huise, MEC Desbo Mohono, Human Settlements, beneficiary, towship, moladi solution, concrete home, formwork construction, rural housing solution, training, job creation
Housing need South Africa - 12 milllion people
Sexwale : 12 milllion people still in need of housing : South Africa
The SABC are reporting Saturday that Human Settlements Minister, Tokyo Sexwale, has confirmed that there is a backlog of two million housing units in the country.According to the Minister government still has to provide houses for 12 million people in South Africa.He was speaking at the launch of Tau Village, an inner city Social Housing project, in Pretoria on Friday and acknowledged that the government needed to meet people’s basic needs.The report also confirms that the residents of Tshabho - a village near Berlin in the Eastern Cape - have called on the Minister to investigate their housing project. While a company had been awarded a tender the project failed to take off. In addition that they have documents claiming to have finished their houses which was not true. According to residents' chairperson, Sizwe Yaka, several meetings have been held with the provincial department without resolving the issues.
Keyword - Human Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, backlog, million, housing, moladi, concrete homes, sustainable development, South Africa, corrupt, fraud, SABS, basic need, job creation, houses, rdp, subsidy
The SABC are reporting Saturday that Human Settlements Minister, Tokyo Sexwale, has confirmed that there is a backlog of two million housing units in the country.According to the Minister government still has to provide houses for 12 million people in South Africa.He was speaking at the launch of Tau Village, an inner city Social Housing project, in Pretoria on Friday and acknowledged that the government needed to meet people’s basic needs.The report also confirms that the residents of Tshabho - a village near Berlin in the Eastern Cape - have called on the Minister to investigate their housing project. While a company had been awarded a tender the project failed to take off. In addition that they have documents claiming to have finished their houses which was not true. According to residents' chairperson, Sizwe Yaka, several meetings have been held with the provincial department without resolving the issues.
Keyword - Human Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, backlog, million, housing, moladi, concrete homes, sustainable development, South Africa, corrupt, fraud, SABS, basic need, job creation, houses, rdp, subsidy
RDP houses sold in contravention of Housing Act to be confiscated
RDP houses sold in contravention of Housing Act to be confiscated
RDP houses in the province transferred to beneficiaries less than eight years ago, which have been sold by their owners, will be confiscated and given to the needy, says Housing MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela.
Location specific audits have revealed that in some cases, as in George, up to 90 percent of RDP houses have been sold by beneficiaries, and a visit by former housing MEC Richard Dyantyi in 2008 revealed that up to 60 percent of RDP houses in Du Noon had been sold or let.
But Madikizela said the Housing Act stipulated that the RDP housing beneficiaries were not allowed to sell their houses within an eight year period, and his department was to audit the 101 000 housing subsidies granted since 2002.
“The houses that are returned to the Department in terms of the pre-emptive right clause (in the Housing Act) will be reallocated by municipalities to qualifying people in terms of the relevant criteria,” said Madikizela.
“We will find a way that government reclaim the houses (RDP) and give them to the needy.”
But he said the magnitude of the problem had to first be determined.
To this end his department was busy drafting terms of reference to appoint a service provider to analyse the status of all state-funded housing projects.
He said the survey to be conducted by an appointed service provider would also establish how many title deeds still needed to be transferred to beneficiaries and, where title deeds had not been handed over, what the reasons for the delay were.
“It is anticipated that this survey of our projects will be concluded by the end of the financial year (31 March 2011). However, once we have some preliminary data from this study we will already be in a position to start to plot a way forward in dealing with this matter.”
In Du Noon residents were scared to speak about the sales and ownership of RDP houses, saying they feared being killed if they spoke out about what exactly was happening.
Community leader Madlomo Ndamane said the sale of RDP houses was “a hot business” in the township.
“Its a big problem.”
She said beneficiaries sold their house, and then once they had spent their money, tried to reclaim it.
She also said there were people who were approved RDP house beneficiaries, but never occupied their house, suggesting that money could have exchanged hands and other people were given the houses instead.
Meanwhile, the City has admitted that it was battling to issue title deeds to approved RDP housing
beneficiaries in the metro.
Land acquisition specialist in the city’s housing directorate, Marlize Odendal said in many cases the occupants of RDP houses were not the official beneficiaries, which made it difficult for the city to issue title deeds.
“It’s a general problem (issuing of title deeds) and its country wide,” said Odendal
A senior city official in the housing directorate, who did not want to be named as he was not sure he was allowed to speak to the press, said the process of issuing title deeds in Du Noon was suspended last year as city-contracted workers received death threats from residents.
Blaauwberg sub-council chair Heather Brenner confirmed that city efforts to investigate “approved beneficiaries” of RDP houses in Du Noon had been continuously disrupted by people who did not want the project to move forward.
Brenner said of about 1000 RDP houses in Du Noon, half of them had been investigated and were occupied by official beneficiaries, but the remainder were unknown and under suspicion because residents there had threatened city contractors.
“It’s been a very frustrating exercise, true beneficiaries have been waiting for ten years to get their title deeds. They deserve them.”
Odendal said similar problems had been experienced in Gugulethu and Langa. — West Cape News
Keywords - RDP, illegal, confiscated, MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, RDP houses, beneficiaries, Housing Act, human settlements, department, western cape, capetown
RDP houses in the province transferred to beneficiaries less than eight years ago, which have been sold by their owners, will be confiscated and given to the needy, says Housing MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela.
Location specific audits have revealed that in some cases, as in George, up to 90 percent of RDP houses have been sold by beneficiaries, and a visit by former housing MEC Richard Dyantyi in 2008 revealed that up to 60 percent of RDP houses in Du Noon had been sold or let.
But Madikizela said the Housing Act stipulated that the RDP housing beneficiaries were not allowed to sell their houses within an eight year period, and his department was to audit the 101 000 housing subsidies granted since 2002.
“The houses that are returned to the Department in terms of the pre-emptive right clause (in the Housing Act) will be reallocated by municipalities to qualifying people in terms of the relevant criteria,” said Madikizela.
“We will find a way that government reclaim the houses (RDP) and give them to the needy.”
But he said the magnitude of the problem had to first be determined.
To this end his department was busy drafting terms of reference to appoint a service provider to analyse the status of all state-funded housing projects.
He said the survey to be conducted by an appointed service provider would also establish how many title deeds still needed to be transferred to beneficiaries and, where title deeds had not been handed over, what the reasons for the delay were.
“It is anticipated that this survey of our projects will be concluded by the end of the financial year (31 March 2011). However, once we have some preliminary data from this study we will already be in a position to start to plot a way forward in dealing with this matter.”
In Du Noon residents were scared to speak about the sales and ownership of RDP houses, saying they feared being killed if they spoke out about what exactly was happening.
Community leader Madlomo Ndamane said the sale of RDP houses was “a hot business” in the township.
“Its a big problem.”
She said beneficiaries sold their house, and then once they had spent their money, tried to reclaim it.
She also said there were people who were approved RDP house beneficiaries, but never occupied their house, suggesting that money could have exchanged hands and other people were given the houses instead.
Meanwhile, the City has admitted that it was battling to issue title deeds to approved RDP housing
beneficiaries in the metro.
Land acquisition specialist in the city’s housing directorate, Marlize Odendal said in many cases the occupants of RDP houses were not the official beneficiaries, which made it difficult for the city to issue title deeds.
“It’s a general problem (issuing of title deeds) and its country wide,” said Odendal
A senior city official in the housing directorate, who did not want to be named as he was not sure he was allowed to speak to the press, said the process of issuing title deeds in Du Noon was suspended last year as city-contracted workers received death threats from residents.
Blaauwberg sub-council chair Heather Brenner confirmed that city efforts to investigate “approved beneficiaries” of RDP houses in Du Noon had been continuously disrupted by people who did not want the project to move forward.
Brenner said of about 1000 RDP houses in Du Noon, half of them had been investigated and were occupied by official beneficiaries, but the remainder were unknown and under suspicion because residents there had threatened city contractors.
“It’s been a very frustrating exercise, true beneficiaries have been waiting for ten years to get their title deeds. They deserve them.”
Odendal said similar problems had been experienced in Gugulethu and Langa. — West Cape News
Keywords - RDP, illegal, confiscated, MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, RDP houses, beneficiaries, Housing Act, human settlements, department, western cape, capetown
Squatter sites rise - informal settlements double
Squatter sites rise - informal settlements double
Squatter sites rise
The number of informal settlements in South Africa has doubled in the last 10 years.
Just last week about 100 households started erecting shacks across Main Reef Road near the Princess informal settlement in Roodepoort, western Johannesburg.
One of those hard at work was Tlotlo Sejamoholo.
"I was living on a plot but the owner sold it and we had to leave last week," he said. " That is why I am here."
Sejamoholo's neighbour, Josephina Mosulusi, said: "We are under constant threat from Metro police but we have nowhere else to go."
Other residents of the new shanty town said they moved from Princess because they were on a flood plain.
In 2001 there were 1 066 shanty towns nationally. That number has since risen to 2628 informal settlements "as at the 2009-10 financial year".
"This figure does not take into account any new or illegal informal settlements that emerged from the time the study was initiated and concluded. This figure is estimated to be nearer to 2700," said Chris Vick, who speaks for the national Department of Human Settlement.
Only about "721 informal settlements have been identified nationally for formalisation and upgrading with basic services by the various provinces and local municipalities", he said.
Gauteng has the highest number of informal settlements. At least 84 new informal settlements sprang up in the last five years - from 405 settlements in 2005. In January 489 were counted.
"Only 122 lend themselves to formalisation. To date 69 of the settlements have already been formalised and are now legally recognised as townships. That means people have a title deed registered in the name of the beneficiary," said Fred Mokoko, Gauteng spokesperson for housing.
"Settlements can only be formalised if the location of the settlement is complimentary to Provincial and Municipal Planning Policy such as the Spatial Development Framework (SDF) and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) in which municipalities amongst other things make provision for future housing planning.
"Settlements earmarked for formalisation will have to undergo not just an assessment from a planning policy or framework compliance point of view, but also suitability in terms of physical features such as the soil conditions, environmental sensitivities," Mokoko said.
"It would be important to acknowledge that as planning for a particular settlement is completed, and in the absence of stringent growth management measures in place, settlements continue to experience internal growth that often renders approved township plans obsolete. Such township plans will have to be amended or alternative plans must be put in place and often such dense settlements will have to be relocated elsewhere," he said.
Johannesburg municipality is carrying the heaviest burden with 180 shanty towns.
Currently, 25 percent of Johannesburg's citizens fall in the informal category which equates to about 200 000 households.
Keywords - Gauteng, informal settlements, moladi, rural development, concrete homes, backlog, households, Integrated Development Plan, Human settlements, shanty town, Chris Vick, Department of Human Settlement
Squatter sites rise
The number of informal settlements in South Africa has doubled in the last 10 years.
Just last week about 100 households started erecting shacks across Main Reef Road near the Princess informal settlement in Roodepoort, western Johannesburg.
One of those hard at work was Tlotlo Sejamoholo.
"I was living on a plot but the owner sold it and we had to leave last week," he said. " That is why I am here."
Sejamoholo's neighbour, Josephina Mosulusi, said: "We are under constant threat from Metro police but we have nowhere else to go."
Other residents of the new shanty town said they moved from Princess because they were on a flood plain.
In 2001 there were 1 066 shanty towns nationally. That number has since risen to 2628 informal settlements "as at the 2009-10 financial year".
"This figure does not take into account any new or illegal informal settlements that emerged from the time the study was initiated and concluded. This figure is estimated to be nearer to 2700," said Chris Vick, who speaks for the national Department of Human Settlement.
Only about "721 informal settlements have been identified nationally for formalisation and upgrading with basic services by the various provinces and local municipalities", he said.
Gauteng has the highest number of informal settlements. At least 84 new informal settlements sprang up in the last five years - from 405 settlements in 2005. In January 489 were counted.
"Only 122 lend themselves to formalisation. To date 69 of the settlements have already been formalised and are now legally recognised as townships. That means people have a title deed registered in the name of the beneficiary," said Fred Mokoko, Gauteng spokesperson for housing.
"Settlements can only be formalised if the location of the settlement is complimentary to Provincial and Municipal Planning Policy such as the Spatial Development Framework (SDF) and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) in which municipalities amongst other things make provision for future housing planning.
"Settlements earmarked for formalisation will have to undergo not just an assessment from a planning policy or framework compliance point of view, but also suitability in terms of physical features such as the soil conditions, environmental sensitivities," Mokoko said.
"It would be important to acknowledge that as planning for a particular settlement is completed, and in the absence of stringent growth management measures in place, settlements continue to experience internal growth that often renders approved township plans obsolete. Such township plans will have to be amended or alternative plans must be put in place and often such dense settlements will have to be relocated elsewhere," he said.
Johannesburg municipality is carrying the heaviest burden with 180 shanty towns.
Currently, 25 percent of Johannesburg's citizens fall in the informal category which equates to about 200 000 households.
Keywords - Gauteng, informal settlements, moladi, rural development, concrete homes, backlog, households, Integrated Development Plan, Human settlements, shanty town, Chris Vick, Department of Human Settlement
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