Revisiting the Self-Help Housing debate: Perception of Self-Help Housing by the beneficiaries of South African low-cost housing

5.2 Recommendations and perspectives for future research

5.2.1 Recommendations

It seems important at the end of this research related to the SHH debate to formulate some recommendations to the South African government in order to improve housing conditions of poor households. These recommendations are directly linked to the general issue of housing.

The first recommendation is to bridge the existing gap between the formulated housing policies and their implementation. In fact, the practice shows that what is executed in term of housing is different from what is formulated. The National Housing Policy and policy documents give the option for poor households to choose the mode of housing delivery which suits them; however, in reality, poor households have only RDP as a viable mode of housing delivery.

Secondly, government has to promote education so that poor households can know their rights^54(*) and their duties. This has the advantage of making poor households responsible and empowering them. In addition, the acknowledgement of their rights may stimulate them to search for adequate solutions related to their housing need.

Thirdly, the government must reduce the attitude of dependency among poor households which results in disempowering poor households through transforming them into mere recipients. It is observed that the erection of shacks has become an effective housing waiting list or the way to be beneficiary of RDP house. The dependency attitude can be broken if poor households realize that the government does not have enough resources to supply houses for all poor households. True dialogue seems to be an effective tool for attaining this objective. Without breaking the dependency attitude, it will be difficult, almost impossible to eradicate informal settlement by 2010 or to solve the issue of the housing backlog.

Thirdly, the South African government must stop practicing paternalism. This implies a shift of housing policy. A new policy^55(*) should not be based on ownership as the only option, and should not presume to impose solutions on the beneficiaries; instead, a new policy should seek to invite beneficiaries to participate in its implementation.

Fourthly, the government should seek to strengthen communities in creating structures which allow community members to choose the representatives who seek to address the need of poor people. This is already mentioned in the WP on local government. In South Africa, with democracy, people elect according to their will and their interests. It can be said that authorities are not imposed but they are chosen. However, as most respondents observed, once they are in power, their representatives change, in that they no longer to address their needs. It should be pointed out that the representatives are the fruits of their community. So, if communities are not organized, they are likely to produce authorities who will not seek the good of all members.

Finally, government must seek to integrate the housing issue with other challenges such as, unemployment, lack of education, HIV and Aids, etc. It is clearly established that most poor households need jobs and believe that through this they are able to improve their poor housing conditions. Creating jobs may constitute one of the effective ways to empower poor households and to include them in the whole of society. This is to say that the South African policy makers must establish priorities which also meet poor households' needs.

* ⁵⁴ By rights, I mean the right to have access to adequate shelter. In South Africa the Housing Acts and other policy documents related to housing are published in the Government Gazettes. The solution should be to make a large diffusion and accessibility of this journal to poor households.

* ⁵⁵ The elaboration of a new housing policy should constitute a topic of debate. In fact, is it a solution for addressing the housing issue in South Africa? It is true that South African Housing policy presents many weaknesses and the government already responded in publishing a document titled «Breaking new ground». Obviously, the new housing policy will rectify the weaknesses observed in the current housing policy but will not bridge the existing gap between what is formulated and what is implemented. The shift should also analyze what has not been implemented. In fact, the real issue is not to elaborate a new policy but to improve the housing conditions of 2,4 million of households living in informal settlements.