New Alliances and Microdevelopment Approaches for Affordable Housing in Southern Africa

This article aims to explain how new alliances between private initiatives and actors and the relevant administrative authorities and politicians are changing the way affordable housing is created in southern Africa, particularly in the Republic of South Africa and in Namibia. The goal is to supplement or replace the state-controlled housing supply systems in South Africa and Namibia with a more development-oriented approach, which is currently being promoted “from the bottom up” by many new actors and real estate companies. In both countries, there is still a significant shortage of affordable housing, especially for the lowest income groups. These target groups are generally not well served by the top-down housing programs of recent decades. This article attempts to clarify the significance of these new “bottom-up” approaches in a sustainable housing policy and how their “dormant potential” can be leveraged.