Relocation and Informal Settlements Upgrading in South Africa: The Case Study of Mangaung Township, Free State Province

Abstract

Despite being a global phenomenon, the practice and implementation of the informal settlement upgrading policy as a possible alternative to conventional public housing policy, has a unique history in post-apartheid South Africa. Some case studies have revealed that shack dwellers have experienced tenure security whether they were going to reside on the same stands with upgrading, move to transition camps while upgrading was in process or whether they had the possibility of being relocated to a new housing development project. Relocation is often resisted in that it threatens existing livelihoods, continued schooling and community networks and, not least, the home. Against this background, this chapter has a threefold aim. First, it assesses the knowledge and policy gap created by a pro-in situ approach to informal settlement upgrading in South Africa. Second, it contributes new evidence from an analysis of households’ perceptions of basic service infrastructure, amenities and governance as expressed through a survey, in-depth qualitative interviews and focus group discussions in a relocation site in Mangaung Township (Bloemfontein). Third, it demonstrates how informal settlement upgrading through relocation may undermine the principle of participatory project planning and design.