Thirty Years After Apartheid: South Africa's Failed Housing Promise

Cape Town, South Africa – Thirty years after the end of apartheid, South Africa's promise of housing for all remains largely unfulfilled, with hundreds of thousands still languishing on waiting lists. As the country approaches key elections, the spotlight falls on the Western Cape, an opposition-run province, where many are still waiting for homes promised decades ago.

In the Mitchells Plain area of Cape Town, known locally as Lost City, the housing crisis is palpable. Residents, termed "backyard dwellers," live in makeshift homes on small plots, often subletting space to those even less fortunate. Cheryl-Ann Smith, 54, shares a cramped, one-room corrugated iron structure with her husband and three grandsons. Inside, there's just enough room for two beds and a makeshift kitchen, with no proper sanitation facilities.

Smith has been on the waiting list for a government-provided house since 1993, a stark example of the sluggish pace of housing delivery by the government. "I applied in June 1993 for a council house and imagine it’s 2024, and I am still waiting!" she told Al Jazeera, expressing a common frustration among many South Africans.

The African National Congress (ANC), which has been in power since the end of apartheid in 1994, initially promised housing for all as a cornerstone of its policies. The country's 1996 constitution even mandates that all levels of government address the legacy of spatial apartheid by facilitating the release of land for affordable housing. However, the actual delivery has been woefully inadequate compared to the growing demand, creating an enormous backlog and leaving voters disillusioned with both the ANC and the Democratic Alliance (DA), which currently governs the Western Cape.

The DA has touted its governance as a beacon of hope in contrast to the ANC-run provinces. However, for many poor, non-white residents of areas like Mitchells Plain, this claim does not reflect their harsh realities. The area, set up during apartheid to house people of color forcibly removed from other regions, remains marginalized and underserved.

Crime and violence are rampant in Mitchells Plain, with the area frequently appearing in national crime statistics. Smith, who has lost two children to gang violence, lamented the unsafe conditions exacerbated by inadequate housing. "Lost City is so far from everything," she said, "People say the name is from the fact that we are lost here; no one listens to us or helps us as the backyard dwellers waiting for a house."

With the general election looming in May, housing is surprisingly absent from the top of the agenda for most political parties. The ANC's manifesto mentions continuing to build subsidized housing for vulnerable groups, while the DA's manifesto lacks significant references to housing, despite an earlier policy supporting the constitutional right to adequate shelter.

Nick Budlender, an urban policy researcher, criticizes the lack of governmental action to address the housing and segregation crises. "We have a housing and segregation crisis that is extreme here – but we don’t see enough government action to match this crisis," he said, emphasizing the failure to utilize public land for public benefit.

As politicians focus on campaigning and promises to roll back poverty, residents like Smith see little change in their daily struggles. "They only come here when they need us to vote for them and then they forget about us," she said, echoing a sentiment felt by many across South Africa.

As the elections draw near, the question remains whether any party will truly prioritize the dire housing needs of millions, or if the promises will once again fall by the wayside, leaving countless South Africans waiting for a home that may never come.