Yeoville: Overcrowding and Bad Buildings

posted by Ismail Farouk at Monday, July 30, 2007

Some evidence of overcrowding in Yeoville can be seen by the numerous advertisements offering various informal rental options on notice boards throughout Yeoville. With monthly room rentals which vary from R150 - R1000, sub-letting is the often the only housing option available to the urban poor. Sub-letting is made possible mainly through poor building management.Because dysfunctional practices contribute to overcrowding of buildings, they also lead to the total dysfunction of the housing stock.

Furthermore, there is a link between the growing informal economy and accommodation problems. A popular strategy for dealing with bad buildings in Yeoville has been for the City to acquire ownership through the expropriation of all the sections and the whole of the common property. The expropriated property is then sold under policies of the Better Buildings Programme. Whilst the benefits of the Better Buildings Programme include an improved quality of life for new tenants and property owners, existing tenants who are evicted as part of the expropriation process are not provided with alternative accommodation and are left homeless. Evicted residents from expropriated buildings are forcibly removed into the streets by the city's Wozani Security force.

The results of this violent action are demeaning and result in a loss of dignity and respect and ultimately criminal exploitation in the streets. Another problem associated with bad buildings is the lack of recognition for informal trade as a viable means of income if regulated and implemented in a controlled manner. Uncontrolled informal trading in residential buildings ultimately leads to the destruction of the building mainly because of a lack of infrastructure for dealing with the activity and its associated waste. Furthermore, the criminilisation of informal trade limits earning potential and therefore limits housing options to sub-letting and poor housing practices.