DETERMINANTS OF HOUSING INSECURITY IN A LOW INCOME SOUTH AFRICAN TOWNSHIP

Yıl 2017, Cilt: 9 Sayı: 2, 117 - 133, 01.06.2017

N.p Mncayi S.h Dunga

Öz

The campaign to end poverty by 2030, as advocated by the World Bank, has multifaceted
components. Food security and abject poverty have received more attention; however,
little attention has been focused on housing insecurity. This is important, especially given
the fact that it is widely acknowledged that housing satiates an essential human need for
physical security, dignity and prosperity, among other things. Housing, for some time,
has been observed as crucial to individual and family functioning. As indicated by
organisations such as the United Nations Habitat, the importance of appropriate housing
is explained by the fact that safe housing is seen as a basic need among other needs such
as food, all of which are regarded as central components of the security of ordinary
households, particularly in developing countries. In 2015, more than 1.5 billion people in
the world were living in housing that was unsafe and inadequate, while in the meantime,
millions experienced eviction from their homes every year, with at least 100 million
people becoming homeless on any given day. Therefore, it is pertinent to understand what
determines housing insecurity. The study aims to investigate factors that determines
housing insecurity. Using data collected from Sharpeville and Bophelong, two low
income townships in South Africa that are particularly vulnerable to housing insecurity,
the study employs a multinomial logistic regression to investigate the effects of head of
household and the general household characteristics on housing insecurity. The results of
the regression analysis show that income, gender, number of people in the household and
the amount paid to bond or rent are significant predictors of housing insecurity.
Contentious issues like access to land and job opportunities are areas of further study in
understanding the multifaceted phenomenon of housing insecurity.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Housing insecurity, Determinants, Low income, Households, South Africa