In South Africa, certain regions are susceptible to low to moderate intensity seismicity, i.e. the South Western region of the Western Cape Province and areas around Johannesburg. Unreinforced masonry (URM) structures within these regions are regarded as the most vulnerable types of infrastructure when subjected to seismicity. Based on past experience, these types of infrastructure have performed poorly during the past earthquake of low to moderate seismicity. The low-cost housing developments provided by the South African government are of the highest concern since URM structures built at minimal cost are extremely susceptible to seismicity. The structural integrity of these types of infrastructure is further questionable since they experience structural damage due to normal loading conditions. This is due to poor material quality and poor supervision.

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