Browsing by Author "Gumbi, Bonginkosi Burlington."

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    Housing delivery and the sustainability of the Durban Metropolitan area
    (2001) Gumbi, Bonginkosi Burlington.; Makhanya, E.M.
    Housing delivery and the sustainability of the Durban Metropolitan area is explained in this thesis as a heterogeneous, long lasting, immobile and essential consumer good that needs to be delivered to the homeless. Such a delivery process needs to ensure that the Durban Metropolitan area remains sustainable. Conceptual frameworks of the thesis entail theory on First and Third Worlds as well as that on urban sustainability in relation to housing delivery. In an effort to place the enquiry in its proper perspective, philosophical paradigms such as neo-classical economics, Marxian socialist model, mixed economics and the Africanist -environmentalist point of view, with particular reference to the latter paradigm, are all examined. While the Marxian socialist economic model appears to have failed in most countries this paradigm is used as a critique on the neo-classical model. In a mixed economic approach the aim is to make use of the positive elements of both capitalism and socialism as an effort to deliver housing in the study area. The Africanist-environmentalist thesis is a humanistic perspective. The main objectives of the thesis aim to examine the nature of the housing delivery constraints with regard to their cause and effect relationships. The goal is to observe an ordered network of links between production, consumption, exchange and the environment. The next objective is to empower the marginalised through Afrocentric job creation initiatives. The final objective is aimed at considering a sustainable delivery of housing in the study area by taking into account the African environment and its people. Hypotheses related to the above objectives are discussed in the thesis. Methods of investigation encompass a combination of research techniques which attempt to attain a balanced picture of research findings. The walking strategy was used to identify housing delivery related problems. The questionnaire technique combined both structured and unstructured interview questionnaires. Purposive sampling where respondents from the middle income, lower income and lowest income groups answered questionnaires, was utilised. The analysis and interpretation of data were effected manually by drawing two way tables which included column variables across tables, and row variables on the margins of tables. Later on, the tables, a pie chart and diagrams illustrating the ecological interaction were drawn by means of Microsoft Word '97 package. The map of the study area was drawn by means of a GIS package. The main finding was that colonial imperialism is the major independent variable in the study area. Housing resource inequities resulted in housing shortages particularly amongst the poor. Dependent variables such as unemployment, homelessness and squatting are a function of resource inequalities amongst Whites and Blacks. The legacy of apartheid capitalism seems to favour middle income housing delivery at the expense of the marginalised. The high population growth rate appears to aggravate the housing delivery crisis in the study area. The absence of infrastructural services in Black areas encourages slum conditions which degrade the natural environment. Natural hazards in the form landslides, floods an soil erosion inhibit the provision of housing in the study area. Lack of working skills amongst the poor hinders job creation initiatives. The conclusions that emerged from the inquiry were that the human element plays a vital role in exacerbating the housing delivery crisis in the Durban Metropolitan area. The fact that apartheid capitalism, greed, corruption and crime are human engineered is proof that the human element contributes to the housing delivery problem. Blacks will only be empowered in the true sense of the word when they are financially self-sufficient and when they are fully in control of the housing delivery process in the study area. The recognition by all housing delivery stakeholders that the African environment and its cultural aspects play a prominent role in the provision of housing could make the study area sustainable to the benefit of current and future residents of the Durban Metropolitan area.
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    Housing demand and supply in Umlazi township: towards a post apartheid policy
    (1995) Gumbi, Bonginkosi Burlington.; Magi, L.M.
    Housing demand has been explained in this investigation as the amount of housing perceived to be required by the Umlazi populace. Housing supply is usually determined by the rate of demand, which in many instances supersedes supply. In an ideal situation, a standing post-apartheid housing policy should see to it that all residents of South Africa are supplied with conventional housing, in particular those that are poor. In general, this research inquiry adopted and emphasised the Marxist conceptual framework or approach as its point of departure. This theoretical framework is taken up with an expectation that it would be the most suitable tool for critiquing apartheid capitalism, which has been regarded as the main cause of unequal resource distribution in South Africa. The resulting inequalities have affected the people of Umlazi in their search for housing. The main objectives of this study were: (a) To discover the underlying patterns and causes of the housing crisis in Umlazi. (b) To highlight the extent of housing demand and supply in the township, (c) To suggest strategies that would help improve the quality of spatially related lifestyles of the Umlazi residents, (d) To contribute towards formulating a viable post-apartheid housing policy. Some hypotheses related to the above stated objectives were formulated and discussed. The methods used for collecting data were mainly based on non-probability sampling techniques, in which 152 households were used. These were divided into four income classes: the upper middle; the lower middle; the upper working; and the lower working classes. Other sectors that were interviewed were the squatter settlement dwellers and the housing governmental authorities. The analysis of data was accomplished by using statistical techniques that were computer based. Personal computer based programmes such as the as Lotus 123 and Harvard Graphics were used to generate graphs and frequency tables from the data collected. This research study came up with various findings, the most important of which were that poverty was a creation of apartheid and in turn related to the problems in housing at Umlazi. Moreover, unemployment and underemployment were imbalances which affected Umlazi inhabitants and therefore affected their search for housing. Overpopulation within Umlazi was seen as the results of apartheid and showed itself in spatial adversities such as squatting, lack of infrastructure, and over-priced land. An important finding was that the state should be the major provider of housing, with the private sector and other players taking a supporting role. With varied support from related literature, the broad conclusions which emerged from the study were that: (a) Equalisation of land acquisition and wealth (around employment and resource ownership) could go a long way in addressing the inequalities engendered by apartheid, (b) The state should be the key player in putting together a new housing policy for Umlazi. Other stakeholders such as the private sector, the international community, NGOs, housing experts and the people on the ground should be involved in the formulation of the policy. Finally, this research investigation revealed and concluded that political intolerance and violence in the study area has to be curbed in order to advance housing management and supply.