The+rise+and+rise+of+SA+shacks,+Pressly,+M+and+G




 * Mail and Guardian Online, Johannesburg, 06 January 2006 12:36**

=**The rise and rise of SA's shacks**=


 * Donwald Pressly, Cape Town, South Africa**

The number of shack dwellings in South Africa rose from 1,45-million in 1996 to 2,14-million in 2003, according to Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu.

Between 1996 and 2001, 383 392 new shack dwellings were built. A further 304 502 were built between 2001 and 2003 -- a total of 687 894 in the seven years. That was 417 new shacks a day on average between 2001 and 2003 and 210 shacks per day on average in the five years between 1996 and 2001.

The average number of shacks built per day for the seven-year period -- or 2 555 days -- was 269,2 shacks.

In a reply on Friday to a parliamentary question from Inkatha Freedom Party MP MA Mzizi, the minister noted that according to Statistics South Africa's 1996 census there were 1 452 839 shacks, including shacks in backyards and shacks not in backyards.

According to the 2001 census, the figure for shacks had risen to 1,8-million -- 1 836 231, to be exact. By 2003, the figure had risen to 2,14-million -- 2 140 733 -- in terms of the 2003 non-financial survey of municipalities.

The province with the most shacks was Gauteng with 688 752 in 2003, up from 468 304 in 1996. KwaZulu-Natal had the second-largest number with 351 520 in 2003. This was nearly double the number of 1996, when the figure was 185 545.

Although Limpopo was working off a low base of 47 911 shacks in 1996, this number nearly quadrupled to 165 554 in 2003.

Two provinces have shown a real drop in the number of shacks between 2001 and 2003. In the Eastern Cape, the figure dropped from 166 772 shacks to 156 297 shacks in this time. The Western Cape's figures dropped from 189 546 to 185 230 in this time. In 1996, the Western Cape had 162 894 shacks and the Eastern Cape had 145 461.

While the Northern Cape saw a drop in shacks from 26 218 in 1996 to 25 793 in 2001, this rose to 35 186 in 2003.

The Free State showed only a marginal increase in the number of shacks between 2001 and 2003 -- from 191 184 to 192 609. In 1996, the figure for that province was 162 713.

The minister noted that the data indicated that the number of shacks rose by 26,39% from 1996 to 2001 -- averaging nearly 5,3% a year. She noted the 2003 survey indicated that there was a 16,5% increase between 2001 and 2003.

The number of shacks was increasing at nearly 8% a year. -- I-Net Bridge

From: http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=260652&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/