The Murky Waters of Housing Allocations in South Africa

The need for adequate housing has never been as pronounced as in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa. Access to land and housing enables people to comply with the lockdown restrictions, practice physical distancing, and have the will and ability to stay at home where they will be protected from infection. The World Health Organisation advises that one of the best measures to prevent CoVid-19 is to maintain a physical distance of at least 1.5 meter. With over five million people still living in shacks that are between 6 and 20m², physical distancing is impossible for many people in South Africa. The pandemic has laid bare the failures of government to properly implement its housing policies – a failure which is now posing a threat to the health and well-being of millions of South Africans.