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I
n a bid to address spatial legacy
and the country’s apartheid past,
Professor Seepe cites examples
of the goals of government’s 1994
goals – ‘breaking down apartheid
geography through land reform,more
compact cities and decent public
transport. And the development of
industries and services that use local
resources and meet local needs’.
There are no quick fixes, he in-
formed stakeholders and media.
“Given the resources and required
transformation it will invariably be
incremental.”
The conceptual shift from RDP
houses to Breaking New Group BNG
was to use housing as an instrument
for the development of sustainable
human settlements, in support of
spatial restructuring. The uniform
and monotonous RDP houses on
the urban edge without the neces-
sary social facilities and supportive
infrastructure needed to change for
more diverse housing programmes
and offer a variety of products. Better
locatedmixed income andmixed use
housing projects, social and rental
housing and to revitalise depressed
property markets at the lower end of
the rental market.
Government’s roll out of Catalytic
Projects will allow things to be done
differently, faster and smarter.
Core issues will be addressed such
as apartheid spatial patterns.
Establishing sustainable human
settlements that demonstrate social,
economic and spatial integration.
Ensuring value for money through
exploiting economies of scale
Ensuring more diverse forms of
housing to respond to various house-
hold needs.
Ensuring economic spin offs in-
cluding creating more job opportu-
nities.
Professor Seepe says that the re-
maining challenges include:
State subsidised houses are not
being integrated into the property
market.
Delay in registration and issuing
of title deeds.
The growing Gap market for
households that are above the fully
subsidised income band but not
enough to qualify for bonds.
Lack of incentives for public and
private investors to invest in rental
housing.
Government lacks the operational
capacity to manage rental stock
Despite improvements in state
subsidised housing, projects are not
achieving living areas with different
typologies.
The focus remains on housing
rather than developing quality envi-
ronments supportedby thenecessary
social and environmental services.
The National Upgrading Support
Programme to upgrade informal
settlements has made slow prog-
ress. This is due to the rigid local
regulations and ambivalent attitude
towards informal settlements in sec-
tors of government
There is need for a national dis-
cussion, says Professor Seepe, on
the future funding of housing in
South Africa. And, on the respective
roles of the state, private sector and
individual households in providing
housing and creating integrated and
sustainable human settlements.
He concludes, “The system of
state-provided housing has benefit-
ted many poor households but may
have undermined the incentive for
people to upgrade their own hous-
ing circumstances. This may have
increased a dependency on the state
for the supply of private goods.”
■
Professor Sipho Seepe recently
addressed housing stakeholders
at the inaugural Department of
Human Settlements Conference
in Port Elizabeth.
From Housing to Human Settlements
implications of a policy shift