THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AROUND DAVEYTON ON THE EAST RAND, 19704999 SEMANGALIISO SAMUEL MALINGA THESIS SUBMITTED IN THE FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY [IN HISTORICAL STUDIES If N THE FACULTY OF ARTS AT THE RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY PROMOTER: Professor G. Verhoef MAY 2000 THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AROUND DAVEYTON ON THE EAST RAND, 1970-11999 TA I it LE OF CONTENTS PAGE 1 Introduction and Background 1 1.1 Exposition of the problem 3 1.2 Aim of the study and time frame 5 1.3 Research methodology 6 1.3.1 Primary Sources 7 1.3.2 Secondary Sources 8 1.3.3 Newspapers, Magazines and Chronicles 11 1.4 Historiography 12 1.5 The comparative international perspective on 22 informal settlements 1.6 Conclusion 33 Informal settlements in South Africa 40 2.1 Introduction 40 2.2 The emergence of informal settlements in South Africa 41 2.3 Reasons for the emergence of informal settlements 48 2.4 Manifestation of informal settlements as a problem 58 in South Africa: a historical perspective 2.5 Distribution of informal settlements in South Africa 62 2.6 Types of informal settlements 65 2.6.1 Backyard shacks and outbuildings in proclaimed 66 Black townships 2.6.2 Free standing settlements within proclaimed 66 Black townships 2.6.3 Peri-urban squatting and free standing settlements 71 outside proclaimed Black townships 2.7 Conclusion 73 Official policies on informal settlements in South Africa 82 3.1 Introduction 82 3.2 Official responses to Black urbanization 87 3.2.1 Pre-1923: Early Black urbanisation 87 3.2.2 1923-1939: The Native Urban Areas Act 89 (Influx control and racial segregation) 3.2.3 1939-1950: Rapid urbanisation and the spread 92 of informal settlements 3.2.4 1950-1966: Apartheid mass housing and the 93 destruction of informal settlements 3.2.5 1967-1979: The housing freeze and 96 re-emergence of informal settlements 3.2.6 1979-1985: Self-help housing and the gradual 101 acceptance of Black urbanisation 3.2.7 1986-1990: The Policy of Orderly Urbanisation 106 3.2.8 Post-1990: Democratisation and urban 108 reconstruction 3.3 Recent government policies regarding informal 111 settlements 3.4 The state departments responsible for informal 117 settlements to 1994 3.4.1 The National Ministry and Department of Housing 121 3.4.2 Role of Provincial Government 122 3.4.3 The role of Local, Rural and Metropolitan 123 Government 3.5 Estimated population of informal settlements in South 127 Africa 3.6 The current Government action to alleviate the problem 131 of informal settlements 3.6.1 National Housing Finance Corporation (NFMC) 134 3.6.2 RDP programmes involving the Department of 135 Housing 3.6.3 Statistics Relating to the Capital Subsidy Scheme 137 3.6.4 Masakhane 140 3.6.5 What is being done to accelerate delivery? 141 3.6.6 Prevention of Unlawful Occupation of Land 144 Act No. 19 of 1998 3.7 Evaluation of the steps taken by the Government 145 4. Informal settlements in and around Daveyton, 1970's to 1990's 161 4.1 Introduction 161 4.2 The appearance of informal settlements in and around 162 Daveyton 4.3 The history of Government policy in Daveyton 169 4.3.1 Housing strategy 171 4.3.2 Urban development plan 175 4.3.3 Private development 177 4.3.4 The settlement of squatters 179 4.3.5 Availability of land 184 4.3.6 Need for further land 188 4.4 Provision of bulk services and problems encountered 191 by the Daveyton City Council 4.1 The township lay-out plan 195 4.5 Current developments in the informal settlements in and 198 around Daveyton 4.5.1 Semi-developed land 206 4.5.2 Service areas: Sewerage, Water and Electricity 208 4.5.2.1 Electricity 208 4.5.2.2 Water 208 4.5.2.3 Sewerage 209 4.5.2.4 Land use 210 4.5.2.5 Informal settlements 211 4.6 Conclusion 213 5. The development of service provision to the informal 221 settlements in and around Daveyton 5.1 Introduction and background to the establishment of 221 Etwatwa 5.2 Provision of essential services 233 5.2 Recent actions to improve conditions in informal 243 settlements around Daveyton 5.3.1 Water and Sewerage supply 245 5.3.2 Road and stormwater projects in Etwatwa/ 249 Daveyton 5.3.3 Electricity supply in Daveyton/Etwatwa 252 5.4 Provision of amenities 257 5.4.1 Community and social centers 257 5.4.2 Recreational facilities 259 5.4.3 Crèches, schools, churches and clinics 261 5.5 Conclusion 263 Recent and future developments in Daveyton/Etwatwa 272 informal settlements 6.1 Introduction 272 6.2 Population profile of South Africa, Benoni, 273 Daveyton and Etwatwa 6.3 Present housing needs in Daveyton/Etwatwa 280 6.4 Housing demand around Daveyton 283 6.5 Housing backlog around Daveyton 290 6.6 Recent actions to improve informal settlements at 293 Etwatwa 6.7 Community's response 302 6.8 Conclusion 317 An evaluation of the Development of Informal Settlements 324 around Daveyton 7.1 Summary and conclusion 328 Bibliography 354 Appendix 1: Etwatwa Survey, April/September 1999 TA LIES PAGE Free standing settlements within Balck townships on the Rand, 68 1983-1990 Free standing shack settlements outside Black townships on the 72 Rand, 1983-1990 Subsidy table, 1995 115 Projected monthly household income distribution figures, 1998 129 Housing Statistics — April 1994 to December 1997 138 SWOT analysis of Physical Sector 201 Greater Benoni's type of housing stock, 1997 203 Greater Benoni's housing backlog, 1997 205 Greater Benoni priority list, 1998 212 Ongoing projects in Etwatwa/Daveyton areas, 1998 248 Estimated annual urbanisation rates: Natural growth plus net 274 migration, 1990-2000 Population of Greater Benoni, 1997 278 Population density in Greater Benoni, 1998 279 Urban housing shortage in South Africa, 1996 290 Housing shortage in South Africa, June, 1998 292 Housing income: Daveyton/Etwatwa. 1998 294 MAPS Etwatwa expansion areas 168 Daveyton/Etwatwa expansion areas 187 Existing areas of informal settlements 232 Construction of roads and stormwater drainage in Etwatwa 251 Potential zones of Development in Greater Benoni 285 Proposed residential areas in Greater Benoni 288 FIGURES Population distribution per province 277 Population distribution in Greater Benoni, 1997 278 Provincial Housing Board Housing Subsidy 301 Abstract The purpose of the study is to analyse the development of informal settlements in South Africa, with particular reference to the role of the Government in the improvement of informal settlement conditions around Daveyton, especially at the Etwatwa informal settlement. Research has shown that there is common experience in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America in as far as the development of squatter settlements or informal settlements are concerned. This strongly reflects on the South African experience. The common feature and experience is that informal settlements are the result of urbanization, which is a world-wide phenomenon. Research in countries has shown that migration to cities is based on people's expectation of a better quality of life in urban areas. The expectations lead people to migrate even when they know that they will be unemployed and would have to live in squatter areas for some time. The decision to migrate is based among other reasons on rational economic grounds. It depended on migration cost, the perceptions and prospects of finding a job, and wage differentials between urban and rural areas. Urban incomes were practically always higher than rural ones and migrants to cities generally seemed to do relatively well in acquiring jobs and improving their standard of living. Most of these activities are performed in informal settlements. Like in all developing countries, South Africa is no exception when it comes to the origin and development of squatter or informal settlements. The most common reasons are that people in their quest for a better life in urban areas end up living in informal settlements because they cannot find suitable accommodation. The rapid population growth in developing countries, for example in countries such as South Africa, has resulted in huge housing backlogs. This led to the mushrooming of informal settlements around cities, towns and townships, of people waiting for adequate housing for their families. In Daveyton specifically, the housing backlog in the late 1970s resulted in the emergence of backyard shacks, erected by people who were either residents of Daveyton, because of natural increase of the population, or people from neighbouring townships or rural areas. The study of Daveyton has showed that because of forceful invasion of land by people who did not have accommodation, Daveyton experienced a mushrooming of informal settlements from 1987. In 1987 the Daveyton City Council accepted in principle that squatting was a legitimate means for homeless people to provide shelter for their families and therefore established a site-and-service scheme at Etwatwa, a new section of the township, to accommodate the homeless and lower income families. For service provision the local government divided Etwatwa into two sections, Etwatwa West and Etwatwa East. Every household at Etwatwa West was provided with water and sewerage services, but at Etwatwa East only rudimentary services were provided. With the passage of time the local government tried to integrate the inhabitants of Etwatwa into an urban environment, through the provision of essential service such as water, roads, electricity and sewerage, and amenities such as community and social centres, recreational facilities, creches, schools, churches and clinics.