Editing Public housing (section)

=== South Africa ===

South Africa has a significant amount of public housing, and the country's [[social democratic]] [[Government of South Africa|government]], majority run by the [[African National Congress]], continues to build more, in an effort to ensure that all residents have adequate housing.<ref name= "Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi: Human Settlements Dept Budget Vote 2024/25, NCOP"></ref>

====Constitutionally-enshrined right to housing====

The [[Constitution of South Africa]] recognizes the right to housing, and states that access to adequate housing is a basic human right.<ref name= "The Right to Adequate Housing - Fact Sheet">{{cite web|url= https://www.sahrc.org.za/home/21/files/Fact%20Sheet%20on%20the%20right%20to%20adequate%20housing.pdf |title= v |author= |publisher= The South African Human Rights Commission |date= |access-date= 20 May 2025 }}</ref>

The Constitution further states that the Government of South Africa is obligated to take reasonable steps, in the context of its available resources, to progressively achieve this right. This includes, through reasonable legislative and other measures, the implementation of housing programs and policies.<ref name= "The Right to Adequate Housing - Fact Sheet"></ref>

====Current state of housing access====

Social housing in South Africa falls under the mandate of the [[Department of Human Settlements]] (DHS), which is headed by the [[Government of South Africa|government's]] [[Minister of Human Settlements]],<ref name= "The South African Department of Human Settlements - Home">{{cite web|url= https://www.dhs.gov.za/ |title= The South African Department of Human Settlements - Home |author= |publisher= The South African Department of Human Settlements |date= |access-date= 20 May 2025 }}</ref> and had (as of the 2022/2023 financial year) over 500 employees.<ref name= "Annual Report 2022/2023 - Vote 33">{{cite web|url= https://nationalgovernment.co.za/department_annual/467/2023-department-of-human-settlements-(dhs)-annual-report.pdf |title= Annual Report 2022/2023 - Vote 33 |author= |publisher= The South African Department of Human Settlements |date= |access-date= 20 May 2025 }}</ref> The Department had a 2024/2025 fiscal year budget of [[South African rand|R]]33.6 billion.<ref name= "Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi: Human Settlements Dept Budget Vote 2024/25, NCOP">{{cite web|url= https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-mmamoloko-kubayi-human-settlements-dept-budget-vote-202425-ncop-23-jul-2024 |title= Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi: Human Settlements Dept Budget Vote 2024/25, NCOP |author= |publisher= The Government of South Africa |date= 23 July 2024 |access-date= 20 May 2025 }}</ref>

What constitutes adequate housing is outlined in the Housing Act 107 of 1997, the BNG 2004 policy, and the National Housing Code 2009 (NHC), which provide for the facilitation of a sustainable housing development process. The NHC specifies the minimum size of houses as 40 square meters of floor area with 2 bedrooms; a separate bathroom with a toilet, a shower and a hand basin; a combined living area and kitchen space with a wash basin; and an electrical installation, where electricity supply is available.<ref name= "The Right to Adequate Housing - Fact Sheet"></ref>

The DHS' Master Spatial Plan (MSP) is aimed at achieving a creative balance between spatial equity, economic competitiveness, and environmental sustainability to overcome the legacy of apartheid. The MSP states that all spatial development programs should incorporate spatial justice (integration); spatial sustainability (e.g., location and access to employment opportunities); spatial resilience (e.g., mixed use, incremental development); spatial quality (e.g., diversity and choice); spatial efficiency (e.g., optimal use of limited resources); and good administration under the guidance of Spatial Planning and Land use Management Act (SPLUMA Act).<ref name= "The Right to Adequate Housing - Fact Sheet"></ref>

Anyone in South Africa over the age of 21, with a household income not exceeding R3,500 per month, can apply for social housing, provided they do not already own a home under a separate scheme (such as a home loan from a bank). Only one government-provided home per applicant is allowable. Married persons, as well as single parents with dependents, can apply together. Applications can be submitted at the Housing Office of the resident's local municipality. Generally, homes received from the government may not be sold within the first 8 years of ownership.<ref name= "The Right to Adequate Housing - Fact Sheet"></ref>

For qualifying poor or low-income households, the government of South Africa also provides subsidized waste management and sanitation services, as well as 6 kl of free water, and 50 kwh of free electricity, per household, per month.<ref name= "Housing and basic services">{{cite web|url= https://www.gov.za/blog/housing-and-basic-services |title= Housing and basic services |author= |publisher= The Government of South Africa |date= 22 November 2023 |access-date= 20 May 2025 }}</ref>

As of 2022, approximately 29.9% of South Africans resided in social housing.<ref name= "Housing and basic services"></ref>

The country has made significant progress in the provision of housing. The number of official households doubled between 1996 and 2022. The number of formal dwellings increased from 65.1% to 88.5% over the same period.<ref name= "Housing and basic services"></ref>

In the same period, the number of people living in an informal dwelling decreased from 16.2% to 8.1%, and the number of people living in traditional dwellings decreased from 18.3% to 3.1% - a marked improvement. Access to electricity at home also improved considerably, rising from 58.1% in 1996 to 94.7% in 2022. These data from [[Statistics South Africa]] (Stats SA), obtained from census research, show the positive results of the South African government's efforts towards housing access across the country.<ref name= "Housing and basic services"></ref>

====Historical provision of housing====

During the [[apartheid]] period in South Africa, spanning around 40 years, the national government at the time was run by the right-wing, conservative, [[Afrikaner nationalism|Afrikaner nationalist]] [[National Party (South Africa)|National Party]]. The party intentionally only worked to ensure adequate housing for [[white people]]. As was the case in all facets of life, [[people of color]] were not afforded the protections that white people were, nor did they benefit in the same way from government funding.

This resulted in a severe lack of safe, quality housing for non-white residents in South Africa. That is an issue which persists into the present day, due to generational (hereditary) privilege, and those from previously disadvantaged communities still having to wait for adequate housing, as part of a backlog of applicants that South Africa's national, provincial, and municipal governments are continuously attending to.

Apartheid featured high poverty rates amongst [[Black people|black]] South Africans, due to [[racial segregation]] and [[racism|discrimination]], and this was (and still is) intrinsically connected to housing, in that adequate housing is known to provide a foundation for improving one's life through having additional security, becoming educated, and seeking employment.

The post-apartheid government has sought to build social housing with a focus on those living in poverty, and those with low incomes. This focus has been placed on building homes in urban areas, with higher levels of economic opportunity as compared to rural areas ([[Bantustans]]), where people of color were forcibly placed after being removed from existing housing, as part of racial segregation measures.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hdm.lth.se/fileadmin/hdm/alumni/papers/ad1999/ad1999-14.pdf|title=Social Housing in South Africa: A feasible option for low-income households?|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408123036/https://www.hdm.lth.se/fileadmin/hdm/alumni/papers/ad1999/ad1999-14.pdf |archive-date=8 April 2023 }}</ref>

The Reconstruction and Development Program (implemented by the [[Cabinet of Nelson Mandela|Cabinet]] of South Africa's first President, [[Nelson Mandela]]), as well as the Breaking New Ground program, provided over 3.5 million new homes during the period 1995 through 2020, but they did not fully meet demand, and some houses were built away from urban areas.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Scheba|first1=Andreas|last2=Salenson|first2=Irène|last3=Turok|first3=Ivan|last4=Visagie|first4=Justin|title=Can social housing help South Africa overcome its legacy of apartheid?|url=http://theconversation.com/can-social-housing-help-south-africa-overcome-its-legacy-of-apartheid-157830|access-date=2021-12-08|website=The Conversation|date=25 March 2021 |language=en|archive-date=8 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208010613/https://theconversation.com/can-social-housing-help-south-africa-overcome-its-legacy-of-apartheid-157830|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The role of social housing in reducing inequality in South African cities|url=https://www.afd.fr/en/ressources/role-social-housing-reducing-inequality-south-african-cities|access-date=2021-12-08|website=www.afd.fr|language=en|archive-date=8 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208013651/https://www.afd.fr/en/ressources/role-social-housing-reducing-inequality-south-african-cities|url-status=live}}</ref> The housing shortage was estimated to be 3.7 million units in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-11-06|title=South Africa|url=https://housingfinanceafrica.org/countries/south-africa/|access-date=2021-12-08|website=CAHF {{!}} Centre for Affordable Housing Finance Africa|language=en-US|archive-date=8 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208044703/https://housingfinanceafrica.org/countries/south-africa/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Department of Human Settlements, which facilitates national housing development, has sought to transition from a housing-focused development model to a holistic view, including services.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Human settlements {{!}} South African Government|url=https://www.gov.za/about-sa/humansettlements|access-date=2021-12-08|website=www.gov.za|archive-date=8 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208044700/https://www.gov.za/about-sa/humansettlements|url-status=live}}</ref>