Breaking New Ground: Perceptions of RDP house beneficiaries of the Mavuso settlement in Alice, South Africa

Abstract

Background: The South African democratic governments adopted the provision of low-income housing as one of the ways to redress the injustices of the past Apartheid government. Thus, the development of housing legislations and programmes initiated, such as the reconstruction and development programme (RDP) and the Breaking New Ground (BNG). Aim: This study sought to investigate the perceptions of low-cost housing beneficiaries of the new BNG housing programme in Mavuso settlement. Setting: The study is conducted in Alice Town Mavuso location under Raymond Mhlaba Municipality, Eastern Cape province. Methods: A qualitative approach using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Results: The findings of the study reveal that beneficiaries of low-cost housing in Mavuso are not satisfied with the quality as many of the houses were left incomplete. Conclusion: As per the findings of the study, housing challenges in South Africa stretch beyond the BNG programme which was implemented by the Department of Human Settlements to improve housing delivery. The findings highlight the lack of monitoring and evaluation together with corruption as the major contributor to the challenges of housing delivery. Contribution: Thus, this study seeks to present the voices of beneficiaries and raise awareness to the Department of Human Settlements on the challenges experienced by beneficiaries and the need for monitoring and evaluation. The study seeks to contribute to the body of knowledge on BNG and settlement development.