One of the serious problems facing South Africa is the provision of adequate low-cost housing for its people. According to Statistics South Africa (2009), 56% of South Africans lived in fully-owned formal dwellings in 2009. Not only does it seem impossible to work away the backlogs, but problems with the standard of construction, location, and continuing urbanization adds to the challenge. International commitments such as the UN’s Millennium Goals put further pressure on the government to permanently resolve the issue. Adequate housing is recognized globally as a basic human right. This includes access to running water and sanitation and a safe environment.

This study does not aim to investigate, in any way, construction techniques, specific choices of location, or other planning-related issues. However, it does try to find a more successful approach to the challenge of the provision of housing given the already stated challenges, combined with, amongst others, the provision of the necessary financing and relevant political processes.