Housing demand and supply in Umlazi township: towards a post apartheid policy
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Date
1995
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Abstract
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.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Zululand, 1995.
Keywords
Housing--South Africa