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From policy to practice: examining the impact and implementation of the rapid land release program in addressing South Africa's housing backlog

This dissertation critically examines the Rapid Land Release Program (“RLRP”) as a policy intervention designed to address South Africa's persistent housing backlog. The RLRP, rooted in the principles of incremental housing, aims to provide serviced land to beneficiaries for self-construction, refle...

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Main Author: Meka, Kgothatso
Other Authors: Mooya, Manya
Format: Thesis
Language:English
English
Published: Department of Construction Economics and Management 2025
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access_status_str Open Access
author Meka, Kgothatso
author2 Mooya, Manya
author_browse Meka, Kgothatso
Mooya, Manya
author_facet Mooya, Manya
Meka, Kgothatso
author_sort Meka, Kgothatso
collection Thesis
description This dissertation critically examines the Rapid Land Release Program (“RLRP”) as a policy intervention designed to address South Africa's persistent housing backlog. The RLRP, rooted in the principles of incremental housing, aims to provide serviced land to beneficiaries for self-construction, reflecting a shift from traditional, fully built housing approaches. This study evaluates the program's implementation, its alignment with national housing objectives, and its capacity to address housing inequalities effectively. Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study utilizes semi-structured interviews with policymakers, housing practitioners, and community leaders, complemented by document analysis of academic literature and relevant policy frameworks. The findings reveal both opportunities and challenges inherent in the RLRP. Key strengths include its potential to empower communities, reduce fiscal burdens, and promote sustainable housing delivery. However, the study identifies critical gaps in institutional capacity, policy clarity, and infrastructure delivery that hinder the program's success. The research highlights the need for strengthened intergovernmental coordination, enhanced community engagement, and robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to address these challenges. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of aligning the RLRP with broader housing policies to ensure it serves diverse population segments, including the very poor, who may be unable to benefit from incremental housing models. This dissertation contributes to the discourse on housing policy in South Africa by offering actionable recommendations to optimize the RLRP's implementation and align it with global best practices. The findings underscore the necessity for systemic reform and multi-stakeholder collaboration to realize the program's potential in addressing South Africa's complex housing needs.
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id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42473
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language English
eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:49:14.322Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Department of Construction Economics and Management
publisherStr Department of Construction Economics and Management
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42473 From policy to practice: examining the impact and implementation of the rapid land release program in addressing South Africa's housing backlog Meka, Kgothatso Mooya, Manya property studies This dissertation critically examines the Rapid Land Release Program (“RLRP”) as a policy intervention designed to address South Africa's persistent housing backlog. The RLRP, rooted in the principles of incremental housing, aims to provide serviced land to beneficiaries for self-construction, reflecting a shift from traditional, fully built housing approaches. This study evaluates the program's implementation, its alignment with national housing objectives, and its capacity to address housing inequalities effectively. Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study utilizes semi-structured interviews with policymakers, housing practitioners, and community leaders, complemented by document analysis of academic literature and relevant policy frameworks. The findings reveal both opportunities and challenges inherent in the RLRP. Key strengths include its potential to empower communities, reduce fiscal burdens, and promote sustainable housing delivery. However, the study identifies critical gaps in institutional capacity, policy clarity, and infrastructure delivery that hinder the program's success. The research highlights the need for strengthened intergovernmental coordination, enhanced community engagement, and robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to address these challenges. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of aligning the RLRP with broader housing policies to ensure it serves diverse population segments, including the very poor, who may be unable to benefit from incremental housing models. This dissertation contributes to the discourse on housing policy in South Africa by offering actionable recommendations to optimize the RLRP's implementation and align it with global best practices. The findings underscore the necessity for systemic reform and multi-stakeholder collaboration to realize the program's potential in addressing South Africa's complex housing needs. 2025-12-22T08:30:57Z 2025-12-22T08:30:57Z 2025 2025-12-22T08:28:47Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42473 en eng application/pdf Department of Construction Economics and Management Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle property studies
Meka, Kgothatso
From policy to practice: examining the impact and implementation of the rapid land release program in addressing South Africa's housing backlog
thesis_degree_str Master's
title From policy to practice: examining the impact and implementation of the rapid land release program in addressing South Africa's housing backlog
title_full From policy to practice: examining the impact and implementation of the rapid land release program in addressing South Africa's housing backlog
title_fullStr From policy to practice: examining the impact and implementation of the rapid land release program in addressing South Africa's housing backlog
title_full_unstemmed From policy to practice: examining the impact and implementation of the rapid land release program in addressing South Africa's housing backlog
title_short From policy to practice: examining the impact and implementation of the rapid land release program in addressing South Africa's housing backlog
title_sort from policy to practice examining the impact and implementation of the rapid land release program in addressing south africa s housing backlog
topic property studies
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42473
work_keys_str_mv AT mekakgothatso frompolicytopracticeexaminingtheimpactandimplementationoftherapidlandreleaseprograminaddressingsouthafricashousingbacklog