Abstract
This study establishes governance of low-income housing projects as an important aspect of successful and efficient delivery of housing goals. The research problem is premised on that there is no project governance framework for low-income housing delivery in South Africa. The study considers that the housing shortage is estimated to be at 2.5 million nationally, with Gauteng estimated at 1.2 million potential beneficiaries, with housing wait-listing dating back to 1996. Using the Gauteng City Region as an area of study, the primary aim of this research is to establish the role of governance in low-income housing project delivery, specifically from the perspective of public sector officials. Furthermore, the study proposes a framework for low-income housing project governance to guide planning, design and implementation. The knowledge contribution of this study is its focus on the three spheres of government responsible for housing (human settlements) within the Gauteng City Region and establishing governance as the missing link in the efficient delivery of low-income housing projects.
Literature analysis demonstrates extensive research on housing delivery inefficiencies in South Africa mainly establishing lack of skills, maladministration, and lack of funding as the main contributing factors. Nevertheless, none of these studies have focused on the application of the concept of governance as a key contributing factor. The study considers international literature wherein the concept of governance has been applied in various field such as Information Technology (IT) and Finance. The importance concept of governance in the context of project delivery is that it promotes the participation of different stakeholders in decision-making, thereby enabling transparency and accountability as part of the project processes. The study is thus underpinned by the stakeholder and institutional theories to help understand stakeholder identification and roles, within the context of institutions including public sector as instrumental stakeholder in housing delivery.
An exploratory research design was employed in the study, using qualitative research methods with an interpretivist persuasion. The data collection strategy included both the primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected using the in-depth interviews, while the secondary data was collected through published and unpublished documents. The population for the study comprised of officials from the Human Settlements Departments (National and Provincial) and two metropolitan municipalities, out of the three within the Gauteng City Region. One metropolitan was excluded due to disapproval of researcher’s data collection request. The response rate for interviews was 90% of the targeted research population. Thematic data analysis was used, adopting an inductive approach in analyzing interview data as well as triangulation of primary and secondary data. Ethical clearance was acquired through the University of Johannesburg Ethics committee to ensure integrity of the study.
The primary finding of this study highlights a prevalent lack of comprehension and application regarding the notion of governance among the participants. Instead, governance is often misconstrued as synonymous with government. Another significant insight is that, despite the presence of multiple legislative and policy frameworks spanning all levels of government, which aim to foster stakeholder engagement, transparency, and accountability, these protocols have not been integrated into the mechanisms and operations of housing development. The central deduction drawn from the study is the absence of a legislative structure centered specifically on the governance of housing initiatives. To address this gap, the research puts forth a governance framework tailored for housing projects. This proposed framework considers the organizational structures within the various levels of government, as well as the involvement of diverse stakeholders in housing delivery systems and procedures. The study also recommends the exploration of additional research avenues, urging the inclusion of perspectives from other stakeholders like the private sector and the general public.
KEYWORDS: Low-income housing, governance, housing project governance, Gauteng City Region, Housing delivery.