| dc.description.abstract | In 1994, democratic South Africa adopted the Reconstruction and Development
Programme (RDP). The construction of houses for the poor was framed as a
fundamental measure of restoring the dignity of the poor and as a victory for rational
policy making in South Africa. The mass building of free housing was intended to
address homelessness, reduce informal settlements and promote social change through
home ownership. But, within the first five years, serious defects emerged in a large
number of houses. In 2006, this resulted in the Department of Housing introducing a
Rectification Programme that was intended to be for a limited period, but was extended
due to the unprecedented number of defective houses. This study covers three
rectification sites in order to probe the hidden costs, human consequences, and the
contradictory policy processes and politics of accountability in public housing. The
sites cover projects in an urban, rural and Peoples Housing Process (PHP), thereby
covering the broad spectrum of housing delivery. The study involved quantitative and
qualitative research with beneficiaries, practitioners and politicians. The popular
perception is that rectification is the outcome of shoddy workmanship, but the study
proves that there are several other underlying considerations that drove the programme,
including the framing of the housing ?problem?, homeownership as a paradigm and
resulting issues of house maintenance. The rectification of RDP homes is a metaphor
for misdirected policy and implementation failures in South Africa. | |
