© COPYRIGHT By Tiwanna Latrease DeMoss 2012 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BUILDING HOUSES OR CREATING HOMES: HOUSING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA BY Tiwanna Latrease DeMoss ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the impact of government housing projects on the poor in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The research explores whether the participation and involvement in housing development projects lead to a greater quality of life for the poor and help them with greater access to jobs, quality housing, services, and community. It also addresses how the beneficiaries of housing development projects participated within the projects and analyzes the benefits and drawbacks of housing development programs in meeting the needs of the poor. The research uses theoretical concepts such as poverty, housing, quality of life, and community to contextualize and to explain the situation for the poor and their need for shelter, employment, and services. This dissertation is based on ethnographic research conducted on beneficiary poor populations directly affected by housing development projects in the city of Port Elizabeth in South Africa from October 2005 to June 2006. The development projects used for the research were the Sakhasonke housing subsidy project in Port Elizabeth’s Walmer Township and the township of Wells Estate, a resettlement community. Some of the main findings from the research were: 1) receiving quality housing had a significant impact on the quality of life of the residents and they were pleased with the type of housing they received compared to their previous residence, yet their access to jobs and income was still a main concern; 2) Sakhasonke residents communicated more frequently with project developers and management compared to the people of Wells Estate, which led to the ii Sakhasonke residents having greater understanding of how the project would impact their quality of life; and 3) community and social trust decreased for the people of Wells Estate after they moved to their new homes compared to what they experienced in the their former residences, which leads to further discussion of how new housing can have a significant impact on beneficiaries’ ability to develop a sense of community and a greater quality of life. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are so many people I would like to acknowledge for helping me complete this research journey. First, I want to thank the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Dolores Koenig, Dr. Brett Williams and Dr. Neil Roos, for taking the time to read my dissertation as well as giving me over the course of this project such valuable suggestions and comments on my research. Their expertise has helped guide me through this process. Dr. Dolores Koenig, my dissertation chair, has been a supportive mentor to me since I started at American University and has been a constant figure of strength and encouragement in my life. I want to thank the National Security Education Program for providing the funding that allowed me to conduct fieldwork in South Africa from 2005 to 2006. I also want to thank the officials, developers and scholars that I talked with in South Africa for taking the time to meet and talk with me about housing development in the country. I also thank the people of the Urban Service Group in Port Elizabeth, especially Clive Felix, who gave me such invaluable support and assistance during my time in South Africa. Most importantly, I thank the wonderful people of Sakhasonke, Wells Estate and the people of the non-participant group for allowing me into their homes and lives for almost a year. Without their support and willingness to work with me, this research would not have been possible. I give a big thank you to my key informant and her wonderful mother; their kindness and willingness to be the first to work with me was the initial spark to this research. I will always be grateful. There are many friends that have traveled with me during this journey. I thank my dear friends Christine Boyd, Michelle Carnes, Rebecca Frischkorn, Malinda Rhone, Eleanor Makumbe, Ariana Curtis, and Arvenita Washington who have listened to my cries, wiped my tears and gave me such wonderful encouragement when I needed it over the years. Thank you to all my friends, near and far. Your support meant the world to me and helped me get through the iv dark and sleepless nights. I want to express my gratitude to my editor, Mr. Boyd, for taking the time to read through my earlier draft, and I want to also thank Abbe Fessenden for her unyielding support over the years and for giving me the time to work on my research. I am grateful to my wonderful mother, my sisters Veronica, Nina, and Keisha, my brothers Oscar Jr. and Anthony, and the rest of my family. Their support and love meant everything to me as they pushed me to never give up and to always pursue my dreams and goals. I am truly blessed to have such a loving and caring family. I also thank my fiancé Omari Norman, the love of my life. He has been my rock and foundation during this process. He has lifted me up on days when I felt like I could not write anymore. I cannot express how deeply grateful I am to have him in my life. Lastly, I give thanks to my father who passed away in 2008 while I was still working on the dissertation. He was a very supportive and devoted father who believed in my work and all that I could accomplish in life. I hope this work will make him proud. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………………ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………………..…iv LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………..…………………...................vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS……………………………………………………………………viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………...…………………………..ix Chapter 1. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN HOUSING AND POVERTY DILEMMA………………………………………………………………………..…..1 2. A REVIEW OF LITERATURE ON POVERTY, HOUSING AND QUALITY OF LIFE………………...………………………………………………………………..12 3. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF APARTHEID AND HOUSING IN SOUTH AFRICA……………………………………………………………………...............63 4. METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN………..……………….................95 5. PROFILE OF THE PEOPLE AND THEIR PRIOR LIVING CIRCUMSTANCES……………..…………………………………………………112 6. A LOOK INTO THE HOUSING PROJECTS, PARTICIPATION AND QUALITY OF HOUSING………………………….................................................135 7. DISCUSSIONS ON JOBS, COMMUNITY AND ACCESS TO SERVICES………...…………………………………………..................................176 8. THEORETICAL DISCUSSIONS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS………...............................................................................228 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………256 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. 2010 National and Local Unemployment Rates……...…………………………….…....84 2. Type of Housing Prior to Moving……………...……………………………...………..118 3. Type of Employment People Had Prior to Moving…………...………..………………125 4. Coega Project Impact on Wells Estate Residents………...…………..………………...153 5. Coega Involvement with Wells Estate Residents……...……………..………………...154 6. Project Participant Level: How Satisfied are You with Your Level of Participation with the Project?...........................................................................156 7. Research Site Group Living Environment Crosstabulation….........……………………168 8. What is Needed to Find Employment: Research Site Group Crosstabulation……….………………………………………………………………...178 9. Type of Income Source for Research Groups………...…………..…………………….192 10. PHP Beneficiary Access to Services in Sakhasonke….........…………………………..198 11. Sakhasonke Overall Community Sentiment Crosstabulation………….……………….207 12. Research Site Groups and Community Concerns and Issues………...………..……….217 13. Research Site Groups Overall Community Sentiment Crosstabulation……………….………………………………………………………...225 vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. South Africa and its Major Cities……………………………...……...…………….…...81 2. Port Elizabeth and its Neighborhoods and Townships……………………...…………...82 3. Walmer Township in Proximity to the Port Elizabeth Airport……..………………..…..89 4. Wells Estate Township in Proximity to Coega and Motherwell…….….…………...…...92 5. Example of Informal Shacks in Port Elizabeth….……….………………………..........119 6. Coega Sign and Fence in Wells Estate Township…………...…………………………145 7. House in Wells Estate…………………………………………………………………..148 8. Sakhasonke Houses……...………………………...……………………………………158 9. Frontal View of a Sakhasonke House…………………………………………………..159 10. Kitchen Area of Sakhasonke House……………...……………………………….........159 11. First Floor Living Room Area……...…………………………………………………..160 12. Electricity Box and Meter in Kitchen Area……...……………………………………..161 13. Additional View of Sakhasonke Houses…………….…………………………….........163 14. A View of Wells Estate Houses……...............................................................................166 15. Separate Extension Building in Wells Estate………..…………………………….........166 16. Open Space Areas and Walking Path in Sakhasonke………………...………………...206 17. Wells Estate Main Entrance Road and Houses…………………………………………213 18. Flea Market at King’s Beach, Port Elizabeth, South Africa……...…………………….222 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ANC……………………………………………………………………African National Congress AIDS…………………………………………………….Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome CDC……………………………………………………………..Coega Development Corporation GNU………………………………………………………………..Government of National Unity GEAR…………………………………………Growth, Employment and Redistribution Program GDP………………………………………………………..……………..Gross Domestic Product HIV………………………………………………………………Human Immunodeficiency Virus HDI……………………………………………………………..……..Human