Social Rental Housing and Empowerment: Voices of Beneficiaries from Gauteng, South Africa

Mziwandile Sobantu

doi:10.25159/2708-9355/7222

Authors

Mziwandile Sobantu University of Johannesburg https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8516-4623

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2708-9355/7222

Keywords:

housing, empowerment, housing delivery, social rental housing, South Africa

Abstract

Adequate housing undergirds all social and economic relations, connecting communities with other related services that are key for people’s optimum development. It is a key social welfare service and a basic human need whose empowerment function resonates with the social work agenda of enabling smooth functioning of the society and creating socially and economically viable communities. In this article, I report on the housing experiences of social housing beneficiaries in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Using an empowerment lens, I contend that housing has the potential to give people more control and self-determination over their lives by linking them to the economy. I employed purposive sampling in this qualitative study and selected three social housing institutions: two in Johannesburg and one in Pretoria. In each of these institutions a focus group discussion was conducted with the beneficiaries. The research findings indicate that adequate housing delivery bears numerous empowerment dividends, directly helping poor people to break from a cycle of poverty. Consonant with its mandate of empowering communities, social work needs to be more proactive in housing advocacy on behalf of poor people and marginalised individuals and groups.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Arku, G. 2006. “The Housing and Economic Development Debate Revisited: Economic Significance of Housing in Developing Countries.” Journal of Housing and the Built Environment 21 (4): 377–95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-006-9056-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-006-9056-3

Carter, T., and C. Polevychok. 2004. Housing is Good Social Policy. Ottawa: Canadian Policy Research Networks.

Charlton, S. 2013. “State Ambitions and Peoples’ Practices: An Exploration of RDP Housing in Johannesburg.” PhD thesis, University of Sheffield. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18772/22014107656.13

Charlton, S., and C. Kihato. 2006. “Reaching the Poor? An Analysis of the Influences of the Evolution of South Africa’s Housing Programme.” In Democracy and Delivery: Urban Policy in South Africa, edited by U. Pillay, R. Tomlinson and J. du Toit, 224–265. Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council.

Cozens, P., and M. Tarca. 2016. “Exploring Housing Maintenance and Vacancy in Western Australia.” Property Management 34 (3): 199–220. https://doi.org/10.1108/PM-06-2015-0027. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PM-06-2015-0027

Cresswell, J. W. 2014. Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approach. 4th ed. London: Sage.

Finch, H., E. Lewis, and C. Turley. 2014. “Focus Groups.” In Qualitative Research Practice, edited by J. Ritchie, J. Lewis, C. M. Nicholas and R. Ormston, 211–242. London: Sage.

Fouché, C. B., and W. Schurink. 2013. “Qualitative Research Designs.” In Research at Grassroots: For the Social Sciences and Human Services Professions, edited by A. S. de Vos, H. Strydom, H. Fouché and C. S. L. Delport, 307–327. Cape Town: Van Schaik.

Gauteng Provincial Government. 2018. “Overview. Gauteng Department of Human Settlements.” Accessed 18 May 2018. https://provincialgovernment.co.za/units/view/35/gauteng/human-settlements.

Gill, P., K. Stewart, E. Treasure, and B. Chadwick. 2008. “Methods of Data Collection in Qualitative Research: Interviews and Focus Groups.” British Dental Journal 204 (6): 291–95. https://doi.org/10.1038/bdj.2008.192. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bdj.2008.192

Hohmann, J. 2013. The Right to Housing Law, Concepts, Possibilities. Oxford: Hart.

Huchzermeyer, M. 2001. “Housing for the Poor? Negotiated Housing Policy in South Africa.” Habitat International 25: 303–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0197-3975(00)00037-0. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0197-3975(00)00037-0

Jupp, V. 2006. The Sage Dictionary of Social Research Methods. London: Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857020116. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857020116

Kleinhans, R., and M. Elsinga. 2010. “‘Buy your Own Home and Feel in Control’ Does Home Ownership Achieve the Empowerment of Former Tenants of Social Housing?” International Journal of Housing Policy 10 (1): 41–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616710903573757. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616710903573757

Lee, J. 2017. “Housing and Social Investment: Lessons from Hong Kong and Singapore. In Social Investment and Social Welfare: International and Critical Perspectives edited by J. Midgley, E. Dahl, and A. C. Wright, 53–69. Cheltemham: Edward Elgar.

Lombard, A. 2011. “Book Review. Social Work and Social Development: Theories and Skills for Developmental Social Work.” Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk 47 (4): 534–38. https://doi.org/10.15270/47-4-121. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15270/47-4-121

Madulammoho Housing Association. 2018. “The Heartbeat of Affordable Housing.” Accessed 20 October 2018. https://www.mh.org.za.

Manomano, T., and P. Tanga. 2018. “Housing Needs: The Quality and Quantity of Housing Provided by the Government for the Poor in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa.” Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk 54 (1): 19–36. https://doi.org/10.15270/54-1-612. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15270/54-1-612

Mantle, G., and D. Backwith. 2010. “Poverty and Social Work.” British Journal of Social Work 40 (8): 2380–97. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcq068. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcq068

Merriam, S. 1998. Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Mulroy, A. 1988. Women as Single Parents: Confronting Institutional Barriers in the Courts, the Workplace, and the Housing Market. London: Auburn House.

Ncube, M. 2019. “Conceptualising Social Development Supervision in Social Work.” Indian Journal of Social Work 79 (1): 31–46. https://doi.org/10.32444/IJSW.2018.80.1.31-46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32444/IJSW.2018.80.1.31-46

Noyoo, N. 2010. Social Policy and Human Development in Zambia. London: Adonis and Abbey.

Noyoo, N., and M. Sobantu. 2019. “Deconstructing and Decolonising Spatiality: Voluntary and Affordable Housing for a Transforming Johannesburg.” In Reversing Urban Spatiality, edited by M. T. Myambo, 35–42. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429453304-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429453304-3

Oldfield, S., and S. Greyling. 2015. “Waiting for the State: A Politics of Housing in South Africa.” Environment and Planning 47 (5): 1100–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X15592309. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X15592309

Potgieter, M. C. 2007. The Social Work Process: Development to Empower People. Cape Town: Prentice Hall.

Priemus, H., F. Dieleman, and D. Clapham. 1999. “Current Developments in Social Housing Management.” Netherlands Journal of Housing and the Built Environment 14 (3): 211–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02496678. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02496678

Raniga, T., and N. Ngcobo. 2014. “Economic Experiences of Single Mothers in Bhambayi, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.” Social Work/Maatskaplike 50 (4): 516–28. https://doi.org/10.15270/50-4-389. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15270/50-4-389

RSA (Republic of South Africa). 1996. Constitution of South Africa, 1996 (Act No. 108 of 1996). Pretoria: Government Printers.

RSA (Republic of South Africa). 2008. Social Housing Act, 2008 (Act No. 16 of 2008). Pretoria: Government Printers.

Ritchie, J., G. E. Lewis, G. Elam, R. Tennant, and N. Rahim. 2014. “Designing and Selecting Samples.” In Qualitative Research Practice, edited by J. Ritchie, J. Lewis, C. M. Nicholas and R. Ormston, 111–145. London: Sage.

Sobantu, M. 2019. “A Model for Enhancing Voluntary Housing Within a Social Development Approach in South Africa.” PhD thesis, University of Johannesburg.

Sobantu, M. 2021. “Housing and Women’s Rights in Gauteng, South Africa: The Role of Social Work in Sharpening the Focus.” African Journal of Social Work 11 (1): 23–36.

Sobantu, M., and H. Nel. 2019. “Voluntary Housing Delivery: The Contribution of Partnerships to the Success of a Community-Based Organisation (WASSUP) in Diepsloot Low-Income Community, Johannesburg, South Africa.” Maatskaplike Werk/Social Work 55 (3): 284–300. https://doi.org/10.15270/55-3-740. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15270/55-3-740

Stats SA (Statistics South Africa). 2019. Statistical Release: Gross Domestic Product, Second Quarter 2019. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa.

Strydom, H. 2013. “Ethical Aspects of Research in the Social Sciences and Human Service Professions.” In Research at Grassroots: For the Social Sciences and Human Service Professions, edited by A. S. de Vos, H. Strydom, C. B. Fouché and C. S. L. Delport, 113–132, 4th ed. Cape Town: Van Schaik.

UN (United Nations). 1948. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. New York: United Nations.

Zimmerman, M. 1995. “Psychological Empowerment: Issues and Illustrations.” American Journal of Community Psychology 23 (5): 581–99. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02506983. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02506983

Zimmerman, M., and J. Rappaport. 1998. “Citizen Participation, Perceived Control and Psychological Empowerment.” American Journal of Community Psychology 16 (5): 725–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00930023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00930023