Subsidised low-cost housing offers no guarantee of “good living conditions”, the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements has acknowledged.
The department was responding to the findings of a study into the quality of low-cost housing in the province by researchers from the University of Stellenbosch and UCT.
The study found that residents of low-cost houses were at high risk for illnesses such as tuberculosis and diarrhoea, with poor ventilation and insulation among the major contributing factors.
The houses surveyed were built by the province or the City of Cape Town, but most did not have a bath or basin in the bathroom. The province and the city said newer houses were better equipped to prevent residents falling ill.
The city said its human settlements portfolio committee would discuss the findings of the study at its next meeting.
However, Ernest Sonnenberg, the mayoral committee member for human settlements, told the Cape Argus that houses built after the introduction of the national government’s Breaking New Ground policy had better facilities.
He said the city was looking at an urbanisation framework strategy that would include investigating the link between health and housing.
It now had an education programme detailing how homeowners should look after their houses.
Bruce Oom, a spokesman for the provincial Department of Human Settlements, said the intention of the Reconstruction and Development Programme was to transfer ownership of homes to poor people.
It was then up to these people to maintain their properties, Oom said.
Initially, the subsidy for the top structure was R6 000, but “it became apparent that building low-quality houses was creating extra problems, so gradually the housing subsidy was increased so that quality houses could be delivered”.
But Oom said this did not mean older houses would be renovated to meet the higher standards.
There were no funds to upgrade all the houses.
Since 2002, all houses had been built with ceilings and roof insulation, and the exteriors were plastered.
Houses had a bath or a shower, Oom said.
On the issue of the health threat, he said the department agreed, “to an extent”, that residents of these houses were at a higher risk of contracting some illnesses.
“The department agrees that the designs of many of the subsidy houses, in particular the older projects, are no guarantee of good living conditions.”
Oom confirmed that Professor Jo Barnes had related the findings to the department.
- Cape Argus
The department was responding to the findings of a study into the quality of low-cost housing in the province by researchers from the University of Stellenbosch and UCT.
The study found that residents of low-cost houses were at high risk for illnesses such as tuberculosis and diarrhoea, with poor ventilation and insulation among the major contributing factors.
The houses surveyed were built by the province or the City of Cape Town, but most did not have a bath or basin in the bathroom. The province and the city said newer houses were better equipped to prevent residents falling ill.
The city said its human settlements portfolio committee would discuss the findings of the study at its next meeting.
However, Ernest Sonnenberg, the mayoral committee member for human settlements, told the Cape Argus that houses built after the introduction of the national government’s Breaking New Ground policy had better facilities.
He said the city was looking at an urbanisation framework strategy that would include investigating the link between health and housing.
It now had an education programme detailing how homeowners should look after their houses.
Bruce Oom, a spokesman for the provincial Department of Human Settlements, said the intention of the Reconstruction and Development Programme was to transfer ownership of homes to poor people.
It was then up to these people to maintain their properties, Oom said.
Initially, the subsidy for the top structure was R6 000, but “it became apparent that building low-quality houses was creating extra problems, so gradually the housing subsidy was increased so that quality houses could be delivered”.
But Oom said this did not mean older houses would be renovated to meet the higher standards.
There were no funds to upgrade all the houses.
Since 2002, all houses had been built with ceilings and roof insulation, and the exteriors were plastered.
Houses had a bath or a shower, Oom said.
On the issue of the health threat, he said the department agreed, “to an extent”, that residents of these houses were at a higher risk of contracting some illnesses.
“The department agrees that the designs of many of the subsidy houses, in particular the older projects, are no guarantee of good living conditions.”
Oom confirmed that Professor Jo Barnes had related the findings to the department.
- Cape Argus
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