http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/national.aspx?ID=BD4A441217

UNITED Nations special rapporteur for adequate housing Miloon Kothari has criticised SA’s housing policy, saying there appeared to be an increasing gap between delivery of housing and legislation — which could affect development.

Kothari, who is halfway through a two-week visit to examine and report to the UN on the state of land and housing rights in SA, said yesterday that preliminary impressions after visiting Northern Cape, Limpopo and Gauteng were that policy at national level, such as the social inclusion policy, was not filtering down to local government, and so increasing segregation.

Speaking after talks with 11 nongovernmental housing organisations in Johannesburg, he said: “Some of what I have seen was worse than I expected.”

Kothari was shocked at some of the living conditions of Johannesburg’s inner-city poor, which he saw during a visit on Tuesday, particularly those living in buildings where water had been cut off.

“I do not accept the argument that these buildings used to be privately owned so the municipality can wash its hands of ultimate responsibility for residents. A visit to properties owned by the Johannesburg Social Housing Company suggests there are problems with implementation. Joshco and Johannesburg Water are public companies. Who is monitoring these companies and projects to ensure delivery? It should be the municipality,” said Kothari.

He said nongovernmental organisations in developing countries, such as India, where he is from, were jealous of the progressive standards in SA, and the fact that the right to housing was enshrined in the constitution and in judgments of the Constitutional Court.

“This is sufficient ground for policy that ensures the rights of the most vulnerable are protected.”

Segregation between the rich and the poor was increasing, he said.

“The implementation gap as a preliminary observation seems to be growing instead of narrowing and that is where I will be looking and trying to find ways to reverse that trend.”

Kothari said cities such as Johannesburg were finding themselves caught between trying to encourage growth and development in order to compete globally, and the protection of human rights.

Presentations were made by a number of organisations including the Centre for Applied Legal Studies: Water Rights division, the Landless People’s Organisation, the Inner City Resources Centre and Social Surveys Africa.

Representatives from people who have been evicted or are facing eviction also made presentations.

Some of the issues raised were the lack of consultation by the government when it came to moving people living in informal settlements to new areas and consideration of the needs of the community concerned.

Jean du Plessis of the international Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions said that “using eviction as a tool of development (which was a global trend with China leading the way) did not promote development among the poor”.

Kothari met Land Bank and government officials in Pretoria yesterday and is to visit Durban and then Cape Town before presenting a preliminary report on Tuesday.