South Africa

Slow delivery of title deeds to housing subsidy beneficiaries is cause for Concern

Published in Thursday December 20th, 2012 In In the media

Just over one million housing subsidy beneficiaries in South Africa have not received the title deeds to their properties, and the situation is worsening. As a result, poor households cannot fully benefit from the ownership of a property and use it properly as an asset and to improve their financial circumstances. A recent study by Urban LandMark reveals that the registration of title to subsidy properties in favour of beneficiaries is not happening in approximately one third of cases. The study estimates that just over one third (35%) of all houses delivered through the housing subsidy scheme have not been provided with a title deed.

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Land Reform in South Africa: An Unfulfilled Obligation

Published in Monday November 5th, 2012 In Opinion

November 1st, 2012 by Glenn Ashton The question of land and agricultural reform in South Africa remains largely unresolved as we head towards the end of our second decade of democracy. It is remarkable that a democratically elected government, enjoying such an overwhelming parliamentary majority and popular support, has failed so spectacularly, in such an […]

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A Resource Guide to Housing in South Africa 1994-2010

Published in Wednesday October 31st, 2012

The Socio Economic Rights Institute (SERI) has published a resource guide, providing an overview to housing in South Africa. Written by Kate Tissington, the guide is an adaptation of a paper on housing policy and development since 1994, prepared for the Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII) as part of a larger research project […]

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Food Security Linked to Land Reform in South Africa

Published in Wednesday October 24th, 2012 In In the media

October 23rd, 2012 Government cannot talk about improving food security without referring to land reform, President Jacob Zuma told members of the African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) at a gala dinner on Monday. “In 2009, we made a commitment to transfer 30 percent of the 82 million hectares of agricultural land which was […]

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Squatters to march against evictions

Published in Tuesday September 11th, 2012 In In the media

September 10, 2012 THE squatters who were evicted from an industrial site in Marlboro, Johannesburg, by the City of Johannesburg, have vowed to take their fight to the street after losing a court battle two weeks ago. About 150 families, who are now staying in six military tents, a few metres from where they were […]

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The Marlboro Evictions in South Africa and the Shortfalls of the Housing Policy

Published in Tuesday August 28th, 2012 In In the media

August 28, 2012 After protests against evictions in Marlboro last week cast fresh scrutiny on the legality of the evictions themselves, lawyers and NGOs working in the area warned that the legal challenge against the evictions masked a far greater problem: namely, the severe shortage of housing in Alexandra and the spill-over into neighbouring Marlboro. […]

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‘Illegal’ JMPD evictions shatter Marlboro community in South Africa

Published in Thursday August 23rd, 2012 In In the media

August 22nd, 2012 Metro police in Johannesburg have cracked down on a community of shackdwellers in Marlboro, evicting residents in direct contravention of state laws. The Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) has dug in its heels and is continuing to evict residents of an informal settlement in Marlboro, despite a court ruling to the contrary. […]

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In South Africa, squatters to live among rich

Published in Friday June 15th, 2012 In In the media

June 8, 2012 GROUP of informal dwellers living in a shanty town in Moreleta Park, informally known as Plastic View, has won the right not to only stay – but to build houses in one of the city’s most affluent areas. When the housing project gets off the ground, those who qualify will live on […]

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Movie addresses the evictions in South Africa

Published in Thursday June 14th, 2012

Watch below the trailer of Dear Mandela, a movie about the mass evictions realized in South Africa’s shantytowns.

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Life at the World Cup in South Africa: corruption, bribery, bad-decisions and white elephants

Published in Friday June 1st, 2012 In In the media

A publication written by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), investigates a string of alleged ‘wheeling and dealing’ strategies behind the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It details six case studies, written by journalists from South Africa and the UK. They provide a stark contrast between the stated goals of bringing the World Cup to Africa for the first time and the potential for corruption that accompanies such a huge event.

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