Evaluating the provision of low cost housing in the context of developmental local government : the case of Wesbank

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The South African Constitution (1996), guarantees everyone access to adequatehousing, and obligates the State to take all reasonable legislative and othermeasures, within its available resources, to achieve such right. This commitmentto housing stands in sharp contrast to the previous housing regime, which wascharacterised by fragmented housing policy and administrative systems, unclearrole definitions and a lack of accountability. In addition, Section 152 of theConstitution also sets out objectives for Local Government in the creation ofsustainable communities.The new approach to housing saw the formation of the National Housing Forum(NHF) in the early 1990's. The NHF, consisting of a broad range of stakeholdersin the State housing sector, sought to reach consensus on a new housing policyand strategy for South Africa. That consensus eventually led to the adoption ofthe White Paper on Housing (1994) and finally the promulgation of the HousingcAct (1997). Subject only to the Constitution, the latter would eventually becomethe supreme law on housing in South Africa.Fundamental to the new approach to housing, is the notion that the environmentin which a house is situated, is equally important as the house itself. As such,emphasis is placed on the potential contribution of housing delivery in thecreation of sustainable communities. The concept of Development LocalGovernment is advanced as the key tool to achieving that ideal. This study traces the evolution of the historical, policy and legislative contexts ofhousing in South Africa during the transition period (1990 -1994) and beyond,and evaluates the provision of low-cost housing in the context of DevelopmentalLocal Government. This is done by way of a case study of the Wesbank housingdevelopment in the Oostenberg region of the City of Cape Town. The question israised whether the Wesbank housing development adheres to the principles of asustainable housing development as prescribed by the Housing Act (1997) andDevelopmental Local Government.The study concludes that, based on a narrow and broad interpretation ofsustainable housing development as defined in the Housing Act (1997), theproblem statements contain both elements of validity and invalidity. In terms ofthe narrow interpretation, it is concluded that the Wesbank housing developmenthas delivered on some elements in the definition, while the broader definitionconcluded that the development was less successful in achieving the desiredoutcomes.Regarding the planning process followed in Wesbank, it is concluded that thenotion of Integrated Development Planning has not been followed, thereappeared to be some level of political interference in the planning processes, theprocess of community participation, which represents a crucial component oflOP, was non-existent, and while funding was secured for the construction of5147 dwellings, no timely provision was made for associated community facilitiessuch as schools, clinics, etc. More telling though, is the absence of anymeaningful community bonding in WesbankFinally, having considered the conclusions made, a number of recommendationsare offered in respect of improving the environment for the Wesbank community.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University