Housing
Voices of the poor: synthesis and recommendations
Urban land for South Africa’s poor
Authors:
W. Smit
Publisher:
Southern African Regional Poverty Network , 2007
Why do poor South Africans have a hard time accessing urban land? This report analyses the perspectives and experiences of civil society organisations (CSOs) whose aims are to increase the poor’s access to urban land.
A wide range of issues are identified as obstacles to access to urban land, they include:
- poverty and unaffordability restrict access
- current inequities reflect unequal land distribution during the colonial and apartheid periods
- private land markets drive up land prices and exclude the poor
- government policies or implementation of policies are not seen as pro-poor
- party politics do not defend the needs of poor communities, rather they are self-interested
Some recommendations for CSOs are:
- enhance and expand the Housing Subsidy Scheme
- develop and implement pro-poor municipal land strategies
- increase community participation with regards to urban land issues
