POLITICALLY AWEH: What each party says about SA’s housing crisis
Before the 4 November local elections, we asked six political party representatives the same questions about South Africa’s housing crisis, using Cape Town as a case study. We asked them about everything from Airbnb and foreign buyers to spatial apartheid and rent control. Here’s how their answers stack up in episode one of our Elections Showdown.
Six political party representatives debated South Africa's housing crisis before the November local elections. Each party had its own perspective on building more homes, addressing spatial apartheid, and regulating short-term rentals.
Eddie Andrews of the DA said the city needs 30,000 new homes annually, advocating for private sector investment. Cameron Dugmore of the ANC proposed rezoning inner city buildings to 20 floors and auditing state land quickly. Dereleen James of ActionSA and the EFF wanted audits in 99 and 99 days, respectively, plus title deeds over leases.
Songezo Zibi of Rise Mzansi proposed metros buy land, provide serviced plots, and build for those who couldn't afford homes. Dr Corné Mulder of the FF+ argued municipalities couldn't afford to build everything, advocating serviced plots and social housing. Mofokeng of the EFF said the party would clear existing housing backlogs, formalise informal settlements, and provide infrastructure to make the cities habitable.
On spatial apartheid, Andrews said it was true, while other parties called it "propaganda". James likened it to gang violence, Zibi said distance from jobs was the problem, and Mofokeng emphasized mixed-income neighbourhoods. Regarding rent control, Andrews dismissed it, while James and others called for limits on middle- and low-income earners' housing costs.
The parties discussed what went wrong in Cape Town's housing market, with James blaming a tourist focus, Zibi blaming rampant capitalism, and Dugmore blaming developers over those needing housing.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
