Community Participation in Housing Development Trends: A Selected Case of Khayelitsha Township, Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

The aim of this article is to assess the extent of community participation in housing development trends in Khayelitsha Township in Cape Town. Even though the 1994 democracy ushered in new directives on housing provision by the state, there is still a backlog in providing affordable houses to the poor and needy. A mixed method approach, using both qualitative and quantitative instruments, was employed to collect data in Khayelitsha. Findings from this study reveal that community participation in the housing development trends in Khayelitsha has, so far, been limited. The study recommends that both the national and the provincial government must adopt a participatory development approach towards the implementation of housing provision, so as to legitimise housing development projects in the eyes of beneficiaries.