by Matlhodi Maseko, MPL
Inclusionary housing delivers dignity; expropriation short-changes the homeless.
Too often the ideas of expropriation without compensation and housing opportunities are opportunistically politicised and conflated. And we’ll probably see more of this heading towards local government elections.
While the national government has limited power to expropriate land without compensating the previous owner, and the possible amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution would extend national government’s powers, a critical point remains: what national government refuses to pay, the poorest and most vulnerable members in society would end up footing the bill.
For the majority of South Africans, the promise of land is not about establishing commercial farms but about the ability to live with dignity.
Expropriating land is not going to meet this fundamental right. Rather, it is going to be a drawn-out, complex process which will fail to provide the dignity sought.
In the Western Cape, Premier Alan Winde committed to finalising the province’s inclusionary housing policy by the end of the financial year. This will guide municipalities towards affordable, inclusive housing.
These policies create affordable housing for low- to medium-income households.
For example, a municipality might require that property developers keep aside a certain number of units for low-income households, or that developers build affordable housing on another site, near the new one.
Inclusionary housing gets residents closer to work opportunities and economic activity. Thus, we can work against the legacy of apartheid spatial planning.
At the same time, inclusionary housing furthers the critical importance of dignity through individual ownership. But the bailout of SAA has already cost the Department of Human Settlements in the Western Cape R23 million, and costs the residents even more. Over 5 800 people will no longer receive title deeds due to these cuts, losing the life-changing and empowering opportunity to create generational wealth.
A recent study of the rental market in Khayelitsha shows tremendous growth in the area, and since 2011, 7 425 additional housing opportunities have been developed with 40% of these being formal additional housing structures.
Hence the City of Cape Town is investigating ways to support property owners in incremental housing zones to pursue the development of rental opportunities on their properties. This would generate income for the property owner and offer affordable, dignified living opportunities for residents.
* MPL Matlhodi Maseko, DA Western Cape spokesperson for Human Settlements.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Newspapers.
Cape Argus
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