Assessing the Implementation Process of Consulting Citizen Participation in Policy and Housing Delivery in South Africa

Henry J Ssekibuule

doi:10.4102/apsdpr.v1i3.38

Abstract

This article aims to assess the implementation process of consulting citizen participation and conflicts involved in housing delivery against the environment of the South Africanhousing need and housing policy. In this way the study wants to clarify the relationship between housing policy and housing practice. The article is based on the legislations and policies designed to foster and promote public participation in South Africa. These include legislation at both the national and local government levels and a survey of planning departments measuring the types of public participation strategies used by local governments. The article’s findings indicate that South African Municipalities need adopt a broader range of public participation techniques related to: voluntarism and public engagement, neighbourhood and strategic planning, and e-government. In contrast, the article’s findings indicate that South African Municipalities are more likely to crumple if they do not promote public participation through mechanisms such as annual community meetings and referendums on public issues. The conclusion of the article offers recommendations for expanding the scope of public participation and developing strategies that maximize citizen input in community development activities in both the Provincial and local spheres of government. The survey was conducted to identify the scope of public participation techniques used by local governments and the Department of Housing in Tyutyu housing project located in the Buffalo city metropolitan municipality. It is an initiative which was started in the year 2000 with the aim of alleviating housing shortage in the area. Formerly, the area was made up of mud houses that were constructed by the former Ciskei government. Later on, shacks were added in the area. Originally, <br />these structures were meant to form agricultural rural village settlements. One limitation of this methodology is that it does not gauge the effectiveness of the participation techniques used by local governments and the department of housing or the intensity of public engagement. However, the results from this study provide future researchers with a mechanism for focusing future analysis. The findings can assist in identifying new directions for enhancing public participation in South Africa and globally.

Highlights

South Africa has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world (Buccus et al, 2008)
The research design seeks to assess public participation mechanisms of local municipalities when they design their Integrated Development Plans (IDP), especially when it comes to the housing policy
The analysis shows that government in its implementation of the Tyutyu housing project did not follow the statutory instruments on public participation in its housing policy

Summary

Introduction

South Africa has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world (Buccus et al, 2008). In practice, citizens have had little experience of this, which is relevant in context of severe poverty and failure by the state to provide basic services. The case study of the Tyutyu housing project demonstrates the challenges faced by the National Housing Department when working to influence central government policy on citizen participation, when it forcibly attempted to remove the community who initially were fifty-two families from their area of domicile, which is present day Bhisho, without the former Ciskei government consulting them. Some NGOs like the centre for public participation (CPP) found it challenging, working to influence Ciskei central government policy on citizen participation. As a democratic state, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of, 1996 regards access to proper housing a basic right to be enjoyed by all South Africans

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion