Guduza, Churchill Mpiyesizwe
(1997)
Housing markets in Greater Soweto.
PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.
Abstract
This thesis examines and seeks to understand the formation and operation of housing markets in Greater Soweto, an agglomeration of black townships on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. The thesis falls into six parts: 1) a description of the demographic, socio-economic and settlement characteristics of Greater Soweto, drawing on a household survey and on original source material which has not previously been subjected to analysis; 2) an historical study which examines the development of housing markets from the 1820s to the late 1970s, paying particular attention to the progressive depriving of African people of their rights in housing and land, including rights to reside or even be present in an urban area; 3) a study of the machinery for providing housing and how it operated (1930 to the early 1980s); 4) an examination of the allocation policies of successive administrations and tenure markets (1930 to the early 1980s); 5) a study of the privatisation of council-built housing (the late 1970s to 1994); and 6) a case study of private sector finance for house purchase and the role played by Meadowlands purchasers in safe-guarding their newly acquired property rights (mid-1980s to 1994). Particular attention has been paid to the mechanisms of housing market formation and operation, using ideas contained in theories developed by academics in developed countries and originally applied to those countries. This study shows that it was the conjunction of economic, racial and housing policies and measures (the desire for cheap labour, the priority attached to extraction of mineral resources and the systematic depriving African people of any property stake) which shaped housing and population in Greater Soweto over the years. Fundamentally, however, this thesis shows that it was through pressure from grassroots movements that housing policies today (whilst still being driven by the needs of capital) have come to be based on the mechanism of giving people enforceable and tradeable housing rights and choice.
Actions (login required)
 |
Record administration - authorised staff only |
Download statistics
Download statistics