By JD GLOBAL MEDIA
South Africa's human-settlements programme is being pushed toward a more integrated approach in which housing, transport, water, sanitation, roads, schools, healthcare and economic opportunities are planned together rather than developed through separate government departments.
Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane made the call on Sunday, 27 September 2026, arguing that the country's housing challenge cannot be solved simply by constructing more houses without considering the wider conditions in which communities live.
The minister was speaking at the 25th South African Association of Public Administration and Management Conference in Durban, where government, academic and private-sector representatives discussed governance, leadership and inclusive development.
Simelane said the future of South Africa's human settlements would depend on whether public institutions could turn policy, public resources and government authority into visible improvements in people's daily lives.
Her comments come against the background of a housing challenge that remains substantial despite decades of government housing programmes.
Government estimates put the housing backlog at around 2.6 million units, while approximately 3.4 million households have registered for government housing assistance.
At the same time, Statistics South Africa's household data shows that a significant proportion of households continue to live in informal dwellings.
The figures underline the scale of the challenge facing the government as urbanisation continues and more households seek housing closer to employment and essential services.
Housing Is More Than A House
The central message from Simelane's latest intervention is that housing should not be treated as an isolated construction programme.
A house can provide shelter, but a sustainable community also needs reliable water, sanitation, electricity, roads, public transport, schools, healthcare facilities and opportunities for economic participation.
A household that receives a house far from employment opportunities may still face high transport costs and long travelling times.
Similarly, a new housing development without adequate roads or public transport can leave residents physically disconnected from surrounding economic centres.
Simelane said this is why government departments need to coordinate their plans and budgets around the same geographic areas.
Instead of housing officials planning independently from transport authorities, municipalities, environmental regulators and social-service departments, the different institutions need to work from common spatial priorities.
The approach is intended to ensure that infrastructure and public services arrive alongside housing rather than years later.
South Africa's Housing Backlog Remains Large
South Africa's housing shortage is not simply a question of the number of houses that need to be built.
The government has previously estimated the national housing backlog at approximately 2.6 million units.
The National Housing Needs Register contains approximately 3.4 million households that have registered for government housing assistance.
Those figures should not be interpreted as identical measurements.
The National Housing Needs Register records households seeking state housing support, while estimates of the housing backlog use different methodologies and data sources.
The Department of Human Settlements has previously noted that Census 2022 does not provide a single official national housing-backlog figure.
Instead, different organisations use household and dwelling information to develop estimates.
The distinction is important because housing need includes several different categories, including people living in informal settlements, people living in backyard structures, households requiring affordable rental accommodation and people seeking subsidised housing.
Informal Housing Remains A Major Issue
Statistics South Africa's General Household Survey shows that 12.2% of South African households lived in informal dwellings in 2023.
Although the percentage of households living in formal dwellings has increased significantly since 2002, informal housing remains a major feature of the country's urban landscape.
The distribution is uneven.
The Western Cape recorded the highest proportion of households living in informal dwellings at 19.2%, followed by Gauteng at 18.4% and the North West at 17.1%.
The concentration is particularly significant in metropolitan areas.
Approximately 16% of households in metropolitan municipalities lived in informal dwellings according to the 2023 survey.
Ekurhuleni, Cape Town and Johannesburg recorded some of the highest proportions among metropolitan areas.
These figures demonstrate why housing policy needs to take urban growth into account.
People continue to move toward economic centres in search of employment and other opportunities.
When formal housing supply does not keep pace with population growth and household formation, informal settlements and backyard accommodation can expand.
Urbanisation Is Changing Housing Demand
Rapid urbanisation is one of the structural factors behind South Africa's housing challenge.
People often move toward cities because employment opportunities, education, healthcare and other services are concentrated there.
This creates additional demand for housing in areas that may already have limited land and infrastructure.
If new housing developments are located far from economic centres, residents can face significant travel costs.
Long commuting times can also reduce the amount of time available for family life, education and economic activities.
The government is therefore increasingly emphasising well-located land and higher-density development.
Mixed-use communities can place households closer to jobs, schools, public transport and commercial facilities.
Such planning can also reduce the need for long daily journeys.
Apartheid Spatial Planning Remains A Challenge
South Africa's current housing geography is strongly influenced by the legacy of apartheid spatial planning.
Many low-income communities remain located far from major employment centres.
Residential areas were historically separated from commercial and industrial areas, creating long distances between homes and economic opportunities.
The government has been attempting to address this spatial pattern through integrated human-settlements planning.
Simelane identified well-located land, denser development, township revitalisation and inner-city regeneration as important components of spatial transformation.
The objective is to create communities where housing is connected to the wider urban economy.
This approach could also help reduce the transport burden on lower-income households.
Transport And Housing Must Be Linked
One of the clearest arguments for integrated planning concerns public transport.
A new housing project can be physically successful while still creating difficulties for residents if there is no reliable transport connection.
Residents may need to spend significant amounts of money travelling to work.
Some may also have difficulty reaching schools, hospitals, shopping centres or government offices.
Integrating transport planning with housing development allows authorities to consider these needs before large settlements are established.
The government is therefore calling for transport routes, roads and housing projects to be planned around the same spatial priorities.
The approach also has implications for municipalities.
Local authorities are responsible for many of the services residents depend on every day.
Coordination between national, provincial and municipal government will therefore be necessary if integrated human settlements are to work effectively.
A Wider Range Of Housing Options
The government is also moving away from an approach that treats subsidised houses as the only response to housing need.
Simelane said fully subsidised housing should form part of a wider system.
That system includes serviced sites, support for self-build initiatives, informal-settlement upgrading, social housing, affordable rental accommodation and First Home Finance.
Different households have different financial circumstances.
A household that cannot afford a commercial mortgage may nevertheless be able to participate in an affordable housing programme.
Another household may require rental accommodation rather than ownership.
A young household entering the housing market may require a different form of assistance from a pensioner or a family living in an informal settlement.
A broader range of housing instruments could therefore allow government to respond more effectively to different needs.
Informal-Settlement Upgrading
The government has also committed to upgrading informal settlements rather than relying exclusively on relocating residents.
Upgrading can involve improving roads, drainage, sanitation, water supply, electricity and other infrastructure.
In some cases, formal housing can eventually be developed on the same land.
The approach recognises that informal settlements are often already connected to existing urban communities and employment opportunities.
Relocating residents far away can unintentionally create new problems.
However, upgrading is not possible in every location.
Some informal settlements are situated in areas exposed to flooding, unstable ground, environmental hazards or other risks.
In those circumstances, authorities may have to consider relocation or alternative forms of intervention.
Climate Risk Is Becoming Part Of Housing Policy
Climate change is adding another dimension to human-settlements planning.
South Africa faces risks from flooding, drought, heat and fires.
Informal settlements can be particularly vulnerable when they are located on floodplains, steep land or areas with inadequate drainage.
Simelane said climate resilience must be incorporated into human-settlements planning.
That means new developments need to consider environmental risks before land is released and construction begins.
Infrastructure must also be designed to withstand expected climate conditions.
Drainage systems, roads, water infrastructure and housing structures all need to be considered within the wider resilience of a community.
The objective is to avoid creating settlements that become vulnerable to predictable environmental risks.
Government Faces Financial Constraints
Integrated human settlements also have to be delivered within a constrained public-finance environment.
South Africa cannot simply expand government spending indefinitely to meet every infrastructure and housing requirement.
Simelane warned that delayed projects, inflated costs and avoidable defects divert resources away from families waiting for services.
This places a premium on better project management.
Government departments need to identify delays early, prevent unnecessary cost increases and ensure that allocated funds result in completed infrastructure.
Professional skills within the public sector will therefore become increasingly important.
Accountability Is Part Of Housing Delivery
Simelane also linked human-settlements delivery to ethical and professional public administration.
A housing project can be delayed by poor planning, procurement problems, inadequate oversight or weak project management.
When that happens, the consequences are felt by households waiting for homes and communities waiting for infrastructure.
The minister said accountability should be viewed as a mechanism for protecting the public purpose of government rather than simply as an administrative requirement.
Professionalising public administration is therefore part of the housing strategy.
Officials need appropriate skills, credible systems and institutional knowledge to manage complex development programmes.
Better Use Of Technology
The Department of Human Settlements has also introduced Innovative Building Technologies as part of efforts to accelerate housing delivery.
These technologies can potentially reduce construction time and improve efficiency.
However, faster construction cannot come at the expense of safety or durability.
Simelane stressed that innovative construction methods must meet appropriate standards for safety, durability, affordability and consumer protection.
The challenge is therefore to use innovation without creating new quality problems.
If properly implemented, new construction methods could help government and private developers respond more quickly to housing demand.
Partnerships With The Private Sector
Government also recognises that the state cannot solve the housing challenge alone.
Private developers, financial institutions, professional bodies, academic institutions and civil-society organisations all have roles to play.
Private-sector participation can increase the amount of housing delivered and introduce additional financing and development capacity.
Financial institutions can help households access affordable housing finance.
Professional bodies can contribute planning, engineering and architectural expertise.
Universities can provide research and data.
Community organisations can help ensure that developments respond to local needs.
The government's challenge is to coordinate these contributions within a coherent national framework.
Public Entities Need To Work Together
The Human Settlements Department oversees or works with several public entities that operate in different parts of the housing sector.
These include the Housing Development Agency, Social Housing Regulatory Authority, National Housing Finance Corporation, National Home Builders Registration Council, Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority and Community Schemes Ombud Service.
Simelane said these institutions should function as part of a broader delivery system.
Their responsibilities may differ, but their activities ultimately affect the same housing ecosystem.
Better coordination could reduce duplication and improve the flow of information between institutions.
It could also help government identify bottlenecks affecting housing development.
The Importance Of Well-Located Land
Land availability is another central issue.
South Africa may have land available for development, but not all land is equally suitable for housing.
Land located far from employment centres can create high infrastructure and transport costs.
Land without access to water, sanitation, electricity and roads may also require major public investment before housing can be built.
The government is therefore emphasising the release and development of well-located land.
This can help reduce the distance between housing and economic opportunities.
It can also support more compact urban development.
Affordable Rental Housing
Home ownership is an important part of South Africa's housing policy, but not every household needs or wants immediate ownership.
Affordable rental housing provides another option.
It can be particularly important for young workers, students, newly established households and people who move frequently for employment.
Social housing can also provide opportunities for households that fall outside the requirements for fully subsidised housing but cannot afford conventional market rentals.
Expanding affordable rental options could therefore reduce pressure on informal accommodation.
First Home Finance
First Home Finance is another component of the government's broader housing strategy.
The programme is designed to assist qualifying households who can contribute toward a home but may not have enough financial capacity to obtain conventional housing finance.
Such programmes can help bridge the gap between fully subsidised housing and the private property market.
A broader range of financing mechanisms could increase the number of households able to enter formal housing.
However, affordability remains dependent on household income, interest rates, property prices and other costs.
Townships And Economic Opportunity
Township development is another major part of integrated human settlements.
Many townships contain large populations but remain separated from major economic centres.
Revitalising township economies can reduce the need for residents to travel long distances to work.
Small businesses, retail development, local services and industrial activity can create employment closer to residential areas.
Housing policy can therefore contribute to economic development when it is integrated with local economic planning.
The objective is to move toward communities where people can live, work and access essential services within more manageable distances.
Inner-City Regeneration
Inner-city regeneration provides another opportunity to increase housing supply in locations already connected to infrastructure and transport.
Older buildings and underused properties can potentially be converted into affordable housing.
This can help accommodate households closer to employment opportunities.
However, regeneration projects also require careful planning.
Issues such as building safety, property rights, municipal services and neighbourhood management need to be addressed.
If properly coordinated, inner-city housing can contribute to more efficient use of existing urban infrastructure.
The Scale Of The Challenge
The government's latest call comes against a housing environment where progress has been made but significant challenges remain.
The percentage of households living in formal dwellings has increased substantially since the early 2000s.
Yet millions of households still require some form of housing assistance.
Informal settlements remain a visible part of major metropolitan areas.
Urbanisation continues.
Climate risks are increasing.
Public finances are constrained.
Infrastructure needs are growing.
These pressures make long-term planning increasingly important.
What Government Wants To Change
Simelane outlined five practical commitments for improving the human-settlements system.
The first is to plan and budget around places rather than institutional silos.
The second is to release and develop well-located land while providing a wider range of housing options.
The third is to strengthen professional capability and accountability.
The fourth is to use evidence and technology to identify delays and improve decision-making.
The fifth is to build stronger partnerships with communities, private-sector organisations, academic institutions and other stakeholders.
Together, these commitments represent an attempt to shift the focus from simply measuring the number of houses constructed toward measuring the quality and sustainability of communities.
Measuring Success Differently
The traditional measure of housing delivery has often focused on the number of units completed.
However, a completed house does not necessarily mean that a community has all the services residents require.
A more comprehensive measurement system could consider access to water, sanitation, electricity, transport, schools, healthcare, employment and public spaces.
This would provide a broader picture of whether a housing project is improving people's living conditions.
It would also make it easier to identify developments where construction has taken place but supporting infrastructure remains incomplete.
Municipalities Will Be Critical
Municipalities will play a central role in implementing the integrated approach.
Local government is responsible for many services that determine whether a settlement functions effectively.
This includes aspects of water, sanitation, roads, waste management, planning and local economic development.
If national and provincial housing programmes are not aligned with municipal planning, infrastructure gaps can emerge.
Successful integration will therefore require municipalities to participate from the beginning of the planning process rather than becoming involved only after housing construction has started.
The Road Ahead
South Africa's human-settlements challenge will not be resolved by a single programme.
The scale of the housing backlog, rapid urbanisation and existing infrastructure gaps require long-term coordination.
The government's latest approach places greater emphasis on integrating housing with transport, infrastructure and economic opportunity.
It also recognises that households have different housing needs and that informal settlements require a combination of upgrading, services and, where necessary, relocation.
For the strategy to succeed, however, implementation will be crucial.
Plans must translate into completed infrastructure.
Budgets must be used efficiently.
Projects must be properly managed.
Land must be released in appropriate locations.
Municipalities and national departments must coordinate their work.
Private-sector partnerships must produce affordable housing rather than only high-end development.
And communities must be involved in decisions affecting their neighbourhoods.
Housing As An Economic Issue
The housing challenge is ultimately connected to South Africa's broader economic development.
A household that spends excessive amounts of income travelling to work has less money available for food, education and other needs.
A community located far from employment opportunities can struggle to develop economically.
Poor infrastructure can discourage investment.
Informal settlements without reliable services can create additional health, safety and environmental challenges.
Conversely, well-planned communities can support economic activity by bringing residents closer to jobs, services and markets.
This makes human settlements an economic issue as much as a social and infrastructure issue.
A More Connected Model
The latest government position points toward a model in which housing is treated as one component of a larger development system.
The house is connected to the road.
The road is connected to public transport.
Transport is connected to employment.
Employment is connected to household income.
Water, sanitation and electricity support the entire community.
Schools and healthcare facilities support human development.
Economic opportunities help communities become more sustainable.
That is the model the Human Settlements Department is now advocating.
Whether it can be implemented at the scale required remains the central challenge.
What Happens Next
The government will need to translate the minister's commitments into programmes that can be measured at municipal and provincial level.
This includes identifying well-located land, coordinating infrastructure budgets, improving housing project management and expanding access to different housing options.
The National Housing Needs Register will also remain important in identifying households seeking assistance, although government has acknowledged the importance of improving the quality and reliability of the data used for housing planning.
The private sector and municipalities will also need to participate in increasing the supply of affordable housing.
Communities, meanwhile, will continue to demand faster delivery and better services.
South Africa's housing challenge therefore remains a long-term test of government planning and institutional coordination.
The latest call for an integrated approach does not immediately resolve the backlog.
It does, however, place greater emphasis on the idea that successful human settlements must be measured by the quality of life they provide rather than simply by the number of houses constructed.
With millions of households still seeking housing assistance and informal dwellings remaining common in major urban areas, the pressure on government to deliver sustainable communities will continue.
The success of the next phase will ultimately depend on whether national policy can be converted into coordinated action on the ground.
For South African households waiting for homes, services and better-connected communities, that implementation will matter far more than the plans themselves.
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