BETRAYAL OF A POST-COLONIAL IDEAL: THE EFFECT OF CORRUPTION ON PROVISION OF LOW-INCOME HOUSES IN SOUTH AFRICA
Lack of proper allocation of houses by the National Department of Human Settlements (NDHS) in all spheres of government has created a huge backlog on the provision of houses, despite the proclamation of Section 26 of the Constitution of Republic of South Africa (1996), Housing Act (No. 107 of 1997) and National Norms and Standards (1997). The living standard of the people who should be receiving these houses is detrimentally affected by this situation. The inception of the Special Investigations Directorate (SID) in the NDHS saw the necessity to investigate cases of this nature. The objectives of this study were to access appropriate management, capacity, challenges and technical support for the allocation of low-income houses, focusing on 20 years of democracy timeline (1994-2014), as well as, evaluating the implementation of support programmes that prevent corruption in the human settlements sector as agreed with sector partners (provinces and municipalities) in line with the national sector-wide Anti-Corruption Strategy by paying attention to State response to apartheid regime to democratic programmes. A qualitative research approach was adopted, coupled with the attendance of five (05) – to ten (10) NDHS SID meetings and workshops, ten (10) months participant observation schedule and three (03) interviews (i.e. Two -02- Key Informant Interviews – KIIs and one -01- telephonic interview) with the Assistant Directors of SID in the NDHS in Pretoria. The findings of this study reveal that 1) corruption with the allocation of low-income houses is still rife across South Africa, 2) fixing the current application and allocation processes can play a pivotal role in this regard and 3) the elite individuals in government should consolidate ideas in response to this scourge. It can be concluded that perceptions on the effects of corruption involving constructing of low-income houses in South African housing are widespread, coupled by complexity, exploitation, fraud and unpredictability. Owing to this, public trust to the current government remains dented. For recommendations; the NDHS should create improvement interventions through a process involving the implementation of the recommendations meted out by the NDHS SID investigators, evaluate the application and allocation processes by all relevant stakeholders within the public sector to enhance social and economic development; and address poverty by refusing to participate in illegal activities.