Framework for enhancement of government housing policy on construction resources towards sustainable housing delivery in the Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract

The ineffective implementation of the government housing policy on sustainable housing delivery in the Western Cape, one of the nine provinces in South Africa, is recognised as the main challenge in the provision of affordable housing for low-income earners. This aforesaid problem persists due to the inability of government housing policy to create an environment in which construction professionals can successfully provide sustainable housing delivery to the less privileged in South Africa. Meanwhile this is a mixed method research which is guided by the Survey approach. I also employed a qualitative (semi-structure interview) and quantitative method (close ended questionnaire) of data collection to respond to the critical questions used to underpin this study. The application of this method was analysed with the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient reliability test to quantify the degree of reliability of the questionnaire developed for data collection together with the application of descriptive statistics to statistically demonstrate the mean and standard deviation of the dataset. The values obtained were tabulated and graphically demonstrates the distribution of the values across each variable. However, the findings attained revealed the factors with major or slight effects on the government housing policy on labour, materials, plants and equipment. All these resources are significant in the sustainable housing production process and the integration of sustainability into housing production. In addition, the framework for enhancing Government policies on the implementation of sustainable housing delivery for low-income earners developed in this study created a comprehensive approach towards mitigating the different factors that impact on construction resource utilisation. Therefore this study through its findings recommends the South African Government to redevelop their housing policies in order to mitigate its impact on construction professionals and role players by providing them with good policies which will enable sustainable housing delivery to the lower-class groups within the Western Cape Province – and consequently to the entire country.