Editing Public housing (section)

====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>