To my sisters Ntombizethu, Sizakele and my niece Nomfundo, thank you so much, you have been my pillar of strength. Against this background, the study recommends the need for a change in the processes followed by municipalities in providing housing, in order to ensure that the mandate of human settlements is achieved.
INTRODUCTION
Cities provide the basis for economic growth and progress, but also contribute to the urbanization of poverty. Accordingly, the functions of the various spheres of government are set out in the 1996 RSA Constitution.
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
This in turn will contribute to urban renewal, revitalization and the social and economic growth of the city (eThekwini indicates that the eThekwini Municipality around the 2000s witnessed the leadership moving towards the promotion of innovative urbanization in the City This was done to contribute to building a combined and integrated social and economic base of the region.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The civil service was given a mandate to come up with measures to improve municipal governance, which refers to the need for consistent communication and involvement of communities in service delivery initiatives (Naidoo & Kuye, 2005). According to Naidoo and Kuye (2005), the civil service could respond to service delivery competitions by investigating and implementing different methods of service delivery initiatives.
MOTIVATION OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH PROBLEM
This has caused a large number of communities to return to informal settlements and backyards, where they used to live (Huchzermeyer, 2006). Despite all these measures, providing housing remains a challenge, due to the movement of people into informal settlements.
AIM OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How does the eThekwini Municipality address gaps in housing services to create a quality living environment for communities? How will the infrastructural development strategy used by the eThekwini Municipality improve the quality of living environment of communities?
LITERATURE REVIEW
The DoH through the BNG recognizes that the expansions in the settlements are lacking in the necessary skills to enable a good quality of life. The Act sets out the functions and principles of the national, provincial and local spheres of government in relation to social housing (South African Year Book.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
All these factors are of a political and administrative nature. Therefore, local government was identified as the appropriate sphere for providing services to communities. The living environment refers to “a set of the natural and built environment offered to the inhabitants of the place who carry out various types of social, cultural, religious, economic and political activities that cause peculiarities in the character of the living environment” (Tiwari, Nair , Ankinapalli, Rao, Hingorani and Gulati.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
RESEARCH DESIGN
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
- Qualitative methodology
- Research Area
- Population
- Sampling strategies
- Sampling technique
- Sample size
- Data collection instruments
- Data analysis, interpretation and presentation
A sample drawn from the community at the study site was also interviewed and the information provided was taken to represent the views of the population. These one-on-one interviews included research questions that the researcher used to determine the direction of the interview.
CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDY
As mentioned earlier, the normal movement cycle of people is causing problems for the municipality as it is in the process of reducing the housing backlog. In a short time, they return to the informal settlement - although perhaps not to their original location.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
This leads to the fact that the residents of the barracks later decide to sell their houses and return to their original places of residence. The framework proposes that a national database be created by the national government while investing in human capital to speed up the process of issuing title deeds to property owners.
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This displacement of people by the government is an indication that the latter defines the socializing circles of the poor. Thus, the framework developed has also emphasized the fast-tracking of the issuance of ownership documents to housing beneficiaries, as this would give them a sense of ownership.
OVERVIEW OF THE CHAPTERS
The chapter further reflects on the presentation analysis and interpretation of data collected from the community and officials from DHS. It concludes and makes recommendations for further/future studies, and proposes a model that can help the municipality to achieve an integrated human settlement plan in order to improve the living conditions of the poor.
CONCLUSION
The researcher was able to provide the findings arising from the primary and secondary data as analyzed. The model suggests interventions that the municipality should involve in order to deal with the displacement of communities to new areas and other issues that need to be addressed in housing development.
INTRODUCTION
URBANISATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
According to Hao, Sluizas and Geertman (2011) testify that cities in developing countries face in-migration, poverty and social inequalities. Strucky and Giddings (n.d) are of the opinion that developing countries must strive to overcome these challenges in order to ensure greater commitment to output and high living standards.
URBANISATION CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN DEVELOPING
Fan (2002) (as cited by Hao et. al., 2011) states that migrants from rural areas do not have access to decent facilities or decent jobs. Scholars such as Tian (as cited in Hao et al., 2011) further argue that in the absence of formal conventions and planning, the construction and maintenance of housing in rural areas is more self-help.
CHALLENGES OF SLUMS/INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS IN DEVELOPING
RIGHT TO HOUSING POLICIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
The provision of these services (public hospitals and clinics, public education) has invariably been greatly influenced by government bureaucracies and the involvement of agencies at regional and local levels for planning, management, provision and maintenance (Keivani & . Werna, 2001). A relationship must exist between structures, which drive the development process, the intended results, as well as the way in which the strategies for development are carried out (Keivani & . Werna, 2001).
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
This needs to be done, taking into account housing policies and practices that have shifted the emphasis from providing housing, from a project-based approach, to integrated housing sector development (Pugh, 1994). If the provision of land and housing capital is done in a well-organized and active manner, blockages in the provision of housing will be eliminated, including housing provision to low-income earners.
NATIONAL URBAN POLICY AS A STRATEGY FOR URBAN SPACE AND
The World Bank attests to the fact that the accumulation effects of cities lead to a reduction in costs in providing services and transporting goods. At the same time, it enables specializations, allowing the sharing of ideas, resulting in the distribution and consumption of goods and services.
CHALLENGES IN ADDRESSING URBAN GROWTH AND HOUSING NEEDS 41
- Imbalances in the assistance given to urban and rural areas
- Insecure land title limits investment
- Types of tenures
- Lack of access to finance
- High building costs
- Civil conflict and violence
- Frequent natural disasters
- Planning for Resilience
- Robust
- Redundant
- Reflective
- Coordinated knowledge
- Inclusivity
This leads to the increase of slums and informal settlements, with an increasing importance of the informal economy (Madlener & Sunak, 2011). One of the characteristics of customary land tenure is that community leaders determine transfers according to people's needs, rather than affordable payments (UN-Habitat, 2011).
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING
The United Nations recognizes that sustainable development agenda is an act by people who try to find a force to find global peace and secure wider freedom. A commitment was accepted, whereby a promise was made for all stakeholders to work with local authorities and communities to restructure and strategies for cities and human settlements.
INTEGRATED COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE HOUSING
- Social sustainability
- Cultural sustainability
- Technological sustainability
- Economic sustainability
- Institutional sustainability
These scholars argue that social sustainability is a comprehensive, multidimensional concept that attempts to find answers to questions about the social goals of sustainable development. Sustainable development should be based on principles that require governments to respond to questions of benefits and losses – whether they are shared impartially, in the present or in the future.
BUILDING SUSTAINABLE CITIES
These institutions must have a good track record in achieving long-term strategic policy objectives and must be able to learn from experience. If cities adopt the land management approach, they can improve the management of land and promote consistency and efficiency in the delivery of services (UN-Habitat, 2013).
BRAZIL AS A CASE STUDY IN ACHIEEVING INTEGRATED SUSTAINABLE
The urbanization process in Brazil led to changes in the urban structure of the cities and transformation in the way of life of the population. Social exclusion and precarious inclusion in the housing sector have been the guarantee of the urbanization process, which resulted in low incomes living in the periphery of the cities (Monteiro & Veras, 2017).
CONCLUSION
This ensures the realization of the right to access and use land, which is governed by regulations. Housing should be considered as one of the most basic needs that determines the quality of life and well-being of people.
INTRODUCTION
Housing Paper Breaking New Ground: A Comprehensive Plan for Developing Sustainable Human Settlements (2004), National Housing Code (2000, revised 2009); . Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act, 2013) as well as the White Paper towards a policy basis for the development of legislation on human settlements (2015).
WHAT IS HOUSING?
HOUSING POLICY AS A STRATEGY FOR HOUSING PROVISION IN SOUTH
- Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
- Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), 1994
- Housing Act 107 of 1997
- Breaking New Ground: Comprehensive Plan for the Development of Sustainable
- Social Housing Act of 2008
- National Housing Code of 2009
- Integrated Residential Development Programme, 2009
- Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme, 2009
- Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) of 2013
- Integrated Development planning as a tool for housing development
The law was intended to eliminate the disparities of the past and accelerate the process of sustainable housing development. The purpose of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act in South Africa was to redress past imbalances created by the apartheid government.
PRINCIPLES OF HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AS A NEW CONCEPT IN SOUTH AFRICA
THE NEED FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS LEGISLATION
The United Nations (2015) alluded to the fact that Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals aimed to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. According to the Cities Alliance (1999), report presented to the United Nations, to reduce urban poverty there should be a strategy that addresses the following: .. i) “Sectoral reforms: this includes reforming regulatory and policy regimes for housing, land and infrastructure markets to ensure access for the poor.
SLUMS/ INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS
Slum/Informal Settlement Upgrading
It should be noted that an integrated approach is needed to solve this problem. Interventions that countries decide on should be holistic and should include the physical, social, economic, organizational and environmental improvements implemented in collaboration between citizens, community groups, business people and planners (UN-Habitat, 2012).
Benefits of slum upgrading
Nations recommends that slum improvement should include a range of interventions within the country if it is to reduce the number of slums.
THE ROLE OF PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT ON HOUSING GOVERNANCE 72
The Constitution outlines the division of functions comprehensively between the three spheres of government – namely national, provincial and local government. Therefore, this role is played either by state institutions or local government institutions, in their effort to promote the socio-economic conditions of the people they serve.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN HOUSING
DECENTRALISATION IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
Administrative decentralisation
According to Cameron (2014), in South Africa, obligations are shared between the three spheres of government and this has caused problems in providing housing to the poor. At the same time, infrastructure subsidies are transferred to municipalities, while housing allocations from the national level are allocated to the province, resulting in a lack of coordination within the government spheres (Cameron, 2014).
Political decentralisation
Due to the overlapping of these responsibilities, the municipalities have been the most affected - because the authority to decide on the possible location of residential settlements belongs to the province. The areas often selected for poor communities are in the suburbs and budgets by line departments are not in line with municipal plans.
Fiscal decentralisation
- Objectives of fiscal decentralisation in housing development
Fiscal decentralization should therefore aim to assist local governments to fulfill their constitutional mandates of providing basic services to all South Africans. As a result, it must ensure that municipalities have the necessary fiscal powers and authority to provide communities with basic services and perform the functions defined by the Constitution (Stanton, 2009).
MUNICIPAL ACCREDITATION
Technical capacity refers to the ability of local governments to decide and be able to implement policies with skill, foresight and ensures that well-trained experts and policy makers are placed where they are best suited (Steiner, 2008). On the other hand, Steiner (2008) indicates that administrative capacity refers to the government's ability to provide physical and collective infrastructure, and perform administrative functions, which are fixed and include revenue collection and information management.
CONCLUSION
If local government is not designated by central government to improve its capacity and institutional practices, it will fail to adequately respond to the needs of communities, which in turn leads to the neglect of national policy priorities. This can be achieved by involving the private sector in responding to the needs of poor urban households.
INTRODUCTION
SOUTH AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE ON HOUSING PROVISION
The Right to Adequate housing
The right to housing is articulated in the RSA Constitution (1996) and the RDP, introduced in 1994. This includes access to basic services, facilities and amenities, which meets the conditions set out in the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.
Assessing the adequacy of housing
Citizens have had to rely on their creativity, energy, skills and the resources they have available to access housing in the form of huts (Keivani & Werna, 2001; Bredenoord & van Lindert, 2010). Third, the social domain considers opportunities to escalate shared relationships within the family itself.
Challenges and constraints of housing delivery in South Africa
Therefore, service delivery protests are more about incompetent local governance caused by people who do not know the proper channels to voice their concerns (Tissington states that a people-centred approach emphasizes the concept of pro-poor strategies. Policies adopted in South In Africa after 1994, it is aimed at providing changes, but it does not fully respond to the dualistic challenge of providing services for settlements that also provide a safe and sustainable environment (Goebel, 2007).
BACK-TO-BASICS AS A STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE HUMAN
Spatial Development Plan as a strategy for sustainable human settlements
At the same time, appropriate densification controls should be applied, which can influence the spatial form of the city and accommodate population growth (eThekwini Municipality, 2013). The SDF is a hierarchy plan for the municipality and informs the future spatial growth of the city.
Infrastructure Development Plan
Therefore, cities should share their long-term visions in relation to the growth and development strategy and prove a strategic framework for infrastructure planning (Palmer et al., 2016). Infrastructure planning should be integrated, not only at the sector level, but also spatially and financially by consolidating funding.
Densification
The necessary infrastructure should support these higher densities, which at the same time increase the value of the land. The benefits of managing density must be linked to the creation of sustainable human settlements and sustainable resource use.
CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
And to ensure that black townships with high-rise buildings are moved to the urban fringes (Harrison & Todes argue that housing delivery in South Africa has focused on the delivery of mass production focusing on fully serviced housing sites and driven by housing contractors - as opposed to to the incremental model of existing settlements, where upgrading was not possible. The urban poor were still inactive – they are constituencies with a sense of entitlement.
CONSTRAINTS OF INFORMAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
- Informal Housing
- Infrastructure
- Location
- Land tenure
Towns and cities in South Africa show a mixture between Western capitalism and colonial agglomeration, as a result they were created in overcrowded, disorderly patterns dominated by relatively low-density white suburbs built according to modern planning principles. (Harrison & Todd, 2015). According to the Cities Alliance (2011) the location of housing is extremely important to the urban poor – who constantly strive to stay in areas that are as close as possible to income-earning opportunities.
CHALLENGES OF HOUSING DELIVERY IN THE ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY
Reasons for Cornubia development
The development was aimed at providing new employment opportunities for residents of identified areas in the IDP area. The development will create substantial new jobs and employment opportunities, especially for residents of areas such as Phoenix, Verulam and Waterloo, which currently lack employment opportunities close to places of residence due to historic planning.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MEGA PROJECTS SUCH AS CORNUBIA
Challenges of mega projects
For competing priorities, information tends to be withheld until projects are deemed affordable, and this usually generates interest in the project (Garemo, et al., 2015). This necessitates important changes to be made in the behavior of all those involved in the housing delivery process (DoH, 1994).
PRINCIPLES OF MIXED-USE HOUSING
Integration
The Cornubia Development Framework Plan, which enabled the development of the pilot housing phase and the Retail Park, informed the layout for Phase 2. The Development Framework Plan has been able to address constraints including topographical geology, water resources, existing properties and services. , roads and rail connections, as well as limited access and options for connections (Royal Haskoning, 2015).
Accessibility
- Efficiency
- Image and aesthetics
- Ownership and Territoriality
Time frames should be clearly stated, but at the same time leave room for public participation (Garemo, Matzinger & Palter, 2015). Therefore, a clear separation must be made between public and private spaces in residential areas, as this promotes ownership, respect and privacy.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION ON HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
This happens in residential areas through fences, or walkways, which warn visitors to the area of public and private spaces (Lukhele, 2014). Stakeholders are people who have a specific and clearly definable interest in the project, while also having an interest in the outcome.
MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS
MONITORING AND EVALUATING HOUSING DEVELOPMENT So far the government has made great progress in delivering housing - but has received criticism. Effective monitoring and evaluation therefore enables government to achieve three main objectives: learning from past experiences to improve practice, providing internal and external accountability for results achieved, and making informed decisions for future initiatives (Garfi et al ., 2012).
CONCLUSION
Profiling communities should be a priority when making decisions about social and community services to ensure that sufficient services are provided to people. This must take into account the needs of the parties involved, including existing residents, entrepreneurs and industrialists, as well as new residents.
INTRODUCTION
RESEARCH PARADIGM
Positivism
Interpretivism
WHAT IS A RESEARCH DESIGN?
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Quantitative research
Qualitative research
The problem of housing in South Africa continues to grow as more people move to urban areas. Housing in South Africa is a problem that researchers need to investigate in order to come up with solutions.
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
This study used a qualitative method, which allowed the researcher to explore concepts in more detail with the research participants, to hear participants talk about issues that affect them. This researcher conducted a study on the assessment of an integrated human settlement strategy, which has been previously researched by many scholars.
RESEARCH STRATEGY
Case study research design
Characteristics of a case study
Therefore, the researcher conducted interviews with people living in the area, officials from the eThekwini Municipality, and officials from the Provincial Department of Human Settlements. Fox and Bayat (2011) state that three aspects need to be considered when conducting a case study research: a) The case needs to be defined or delimited – meaning its boundaries need to be determined.
When to adopt a case study approach?
Household formation in South Africa is growing at an alarming rate per year, due to migration. In South Africa, the increasing level of poor service delivery and corruption among public officials and politicians has also contributed to instability in communities in South Africa.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
Population
The remaining housing disparities facing the eThekwini Municipality include informal backyard dwellings and traditional houses that need to be upgraded. The target population as stated in Chapter One, included communities, eThekwini municipality officials as well as provincial officials.
Probability sampling
Non-probability sampling
PURPOSIVE SAMPLING
SAMPLE SIZE
Therefore, this study consisted of a sample of 100 participants from the study sites, including officials from the municipality and two officials from the provincial DHS. As a result, it became easy to generalize the results from the sample of the population.
DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES
- Semi-structured interviews questionnaires
- Structure of semi-structured questions
- One-on-one interviews
- Designing a semi-structured interview questionnaire
- Piloting the interviews
This topic was based on the level of community satisfaction with the current strategy used by the municipality and whether it has improved the quality of life of the affected communities. The level of community satisfaction in the strategy of sustainable settlements, aimed at creating a quality living environment.
FOCUS GROUPS
Piloting is important in research because it helps the researcher identify problems in the questionnaire. In this study, a pilot run was conducted and the researcher found language problems in the questionnaire.
RECORDING AND TRANSCRIPTION
In this study, four focus group interviews were conducted with members of the Cornubia community. In this study, the researcher was able to interview even members of the steering committee involved; from the initial stages of the project to the relocation of people to a new area.
DATA ANALYSIS
The researcher listened to the audio-recorded interviews and spent a lot of time reading the noted data to familiarize himself with the content. The researcher reflected on whether the themes were compelling and portrayed a compelling story about the data collected (Clarke & Braun, 2013).
CONCLUSION
The researcher coded each element of data collected and collated codes and data extracts that were relevant to the study. She further searched for themes to ensure they were not hidden in the data.
INTRODUCTION
INTERVIEWS WITH OFFICIALS FROM THE ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY
Theme 1: From Housing to Human Settlements
- Redressing imbalances of the past
- Achieving an integrated human settlement
- Household formations
- Recognising backyard houses
- Policy challenges
The department's vision in this regard was to create self-sustaining units – the idea was to relocate people from various shantytowns located in unsuitable locations (see Sutherland et al., 2015). In this way, the municipality must provide people living in informal settlements with access to clean water, electricity and sanitation.
Theme 2: Spatial transformation
- Spatial development planning
- Availability of prime land for human settlements
- Security of tenure
- Sustainable human settlements
Moreover, slum housing led to the poor being effectively sidelined in terms of access to jobs, urban amenities and social networks – the reason being that they were expected to spend too much time and money for transportation costs. Respondents indicated that decisions about densification need to be made in order to address sustainable human settlements.
Theme 3: Level of community satisfaction
- Housing backlog
- Facilitation of in situ upgrades and Greenfields
- New life in the Greenfields
South Africa's housing backlog has resulted in an increased number of people living in informal settlements. Respondents cited the frustration the municipality faces in dealing with informal settlements in the city, as it stifles the strategies the municipality implements to address the housing backlog.
Theme 4: Infrastructural development strategy
- Provision of Bulk infrastructure
- Aligning of budgets to developments
Respondents pointed out the importance of certificates from various services for each settlement, which is determined by the municipality. He also indicated the role of planners in ensuring compliance of the arrangement with the municipality's plan.
Theme 5: Stakeholder involvement
- Housing handover
- Training and outreach to communities
Stakeholder involvement not only involves communities, but also involves other stakeholders such as professional teams and officials from other units (see Fombad, 2013). Involving communities benefits not only communities but also administrators (see Irvin & Stansbury, 2004).
Interviews with members of the community
Demographics of participants
The graph above shows the distribution in terms of age among the participants selected for the study. The graph above is a representation of the size of the households, determined during the interaction with the research participants.
FOCUS GROUPS PERSPECTIVE
- Theme 1: Quality living environment
- Life in the informal settlements
- Shortage of amenities
- Access to economic opportunities
- Theme 2: Safety and security
- Meeting household needs
- Restoring dignity
- Social and economic integration
- Theme 3: Community participation
- Public meetings attendance
- Contributions to advancement of the community
- Improving community trust
- Theme 4: Infrastructure contribution to quality of life
- Provision of bulk infrastructure
- Payment for services
- Theme 5: Public involvement
- Engagements with local leaders in informal settlements
- Engagements with local leader’s in formal housing
- Role of officials in engaging communities
Participants indicated that they were not included in urban planning as some informal settlements were upgraded, while some residents were moved to the Greenfields. Respondents in the focus groups recognized that access to these services has improved the quality of life of beneficiaries.
COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE ON ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS
- Theme 1: Community benefits on housing strategies
- Creating awareness on community services
- Programmes to empower communities
- Theme 2: Consumer satisfaction in housing strategies
- Access to facilities
- Current houses do not consider future increase in household sizes
- Dissatisfaction amongst communities
- Theme 3: Giving priority to community needs through human settlements
- Consultation process in housing development
- Access to economic opportunities
- Theme 4: Benefits of modern infrastructure
- Effects of physical and human infrastructure to beneficiaries
- Theme 5: Stakeholder involvement
- Loss of interest in community meetings
- Capacitating communities
- Role of community leaders
This purpose of the theme was aimed at ascertaining the infrastructure provided by the municipality to improve the quality of life of beneficiaries. The communities as part of the stakeholders indicated that they were no longer interested in participating in local community meetings – the reason was that the municipality could not fulfill its obligations in relation to some of the promised services in the new residential area.
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
To ascertain the current integrated housing strategy used by the eThekwini Municipality in creating a quality living environment. To evaluate the infrastructural development strategy used by the eThekwini Municipality in creating a quality living environment.
SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS
THE FINDINGS OF RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Objective 1: Integrated human settlements
Objective 2: Community satisfaction
Objective 3: Housing backlog strategy
Objective 4: Infrastructural development strategy
Objective 5: Stakeholder involvement
RECOMMENDATIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FINDINGS
Policy gaps in housing provision
Too much urban regulation on land use resulting in housing informality
Lack of proper consultation with communities
Lack of infrastructure to complete human settlements
Prioritisation of Security of tenure
Lack of integration of urban opportunities
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
PROPOSED FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATED SUSTAINABLE HUMAN
Integration
Reforms in qualification criteria
Awareness programmes and education
Promoting ownership of property
CONCLUDING REMARKS
