Comments on the Draft White Paper for Human Settlements 2023

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) and University of Johannesburg provide comments on the draft White Paper for Human Settlements 2023, highlighting gaps in property market regulation, climate strategy execution, and the risks posed by Eskom debt relief to basic service delivery in South Africa.

• The draft policy fails to recognize the role of small-scale developers, who are significant contributors to township property markets and the broader rental housing market in South Africa.
• While the draft policy notes the undervaluation of subsidised housing, it lacks specific interventions for market failure. PARI recommends integrating the resale market with regulated markets and establishing public housing resale standards to unlock the asset potential of 'RDP housing'.
• The 'Human Settlements Climate Change Response Strategy' lacks execution clarity, particularly regarding how housing standards will incorporate and sustain alternative energy sources like solar energy to address South Africa's energy challenges.
• Recent debt relief measures for Eskom, which utilize the Local Government Equitable Share budget component, threaten the provision of free basic services and electricity to poor households, potentially undermining the human settlements policy.
• The division of funding into rural and urban packages recognizes the role of traditional authorities in rural areas, but PARI warns that the exchange of knowledge between local government and these authorities must be managed to prevent exploitation.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2024). Comments on the Draft White Paper for Human Settlements 2023. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Comments-on-the-draft-housing-white-paper2024.PARI_.pdf

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. Comments on the Draft White Paper for Human Settlements 2023. 2024. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Comments-on-the-draft-housing-white-paper2024.PARI_.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=Comments on the Draft White Paper for Human Settlements 2023 |date=31 January 2024 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Comments-on-the-draft-housing-white-paper2024.PARI_.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2024comments, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{Comments on the Draft White Paper for Human Settlements 2023}}, publisher = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Comments-on-the-draft-housing-white-paper2024.PARI_.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }