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Amnesty International stated on Tuesday that the South African government failed to provide adequate housing and essential services to more than five million people living in informal settlements, which are highly susceptible to severe flooding.
Based on its report, Amnesty International South Africa found that the government’s response to flooding disasters and the housing crisis, alongside the implementation of national legislation, was “patchy and piecemeal”, which explains the development of informal settlements across the country.
The report detailed that more than five million South African nationals live in informal settlements, deprived of vital services such as water, electricity, and sanitation. Additionally, people who have been displaced by floods are still living in temporary accommodations three years after the disaster, and some have even died after their relocation. Most of these informal settlements are located in low-lying areas and near riverbanks. Thus, they are highly exposed to flooding, which has become a seasonal problem in South Africa due to climate change.
However, the government failed to undertake any measures to address the recurrent flooding disasters and continued policies of neglect, under-resourced municipalities, and poor urban governance. Instead, citizens were left to deal with seasonal flooding on their own, receiving no support or assistance from any official body.
Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director, Shenilla Mohamed, said:
Therefore, Amnesty International urged the government to fulfill its national and international human rights obligations by planning specific budgetary and policy measures to provide adequate housing and upgrade informal settlements. The organization additionally stressed that the government needs to integrate disaster risk reduction into urban planning.
South Africa has experienced multiple climate-related disasters, and the risk of extreme weather events is projected to increase, necessitating urgent government intervention. In June 2025, severe floods affected rural areas of the Eastern Cape province, resulting in 100 deaths and the mass displacement of residents, further intensifying the housing crisis. The apartheid system, which governed South Africa from 1948 to 1994, is widely regarded as a primary cause of the current housing crisis. Apartheid policies centered on land dispossession, forcing black South Africans into peripheral developments lacking urban infrastructure and employment opportunities, making homeownership unattainable. The legacy of these policies persists, as millions continue to reside in informal settlements, unable to afford adequate housing while land ownership remains disproportionately concentrated among the white minority.
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Based on its report, Amnesty International South Africa found that the government’s response to flooding disasters and the housing crisis, alongside the implementation of national legislation, was “patchy and piecemeal”, which explains the development of informal settlements across the country.
The report detailed that more than five million South African nationals live in informal settlements, deprived of vital services such as water, electricity, and sanitation. Additionally, people who have been displaced by floods are still living in temporary accommodations three years after the disaster, and some have even died after their relocation. Most of these informal settlements are located in low-lying areas and near riverbanks. Thus, they are highly exposed to flooding, which has become a seasonal problem in South Africa due to climate change.
However, the government failed to undertake any measures to address the recurrent flooding disasters and continued policies of neglect, under-resourced municipalities, and poor urban governance. Instead, citizens were left to deal with seasonal flooding on their own, receiving no support or assistance from any official body.
Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director, Shenilla Mohamed, said:
Amnesty International also highlighted that although South Africa has created varioul laws addressing the access to housing and provision of essential services, including recognizing the right to adequate housing in the 1996 Constitution, the Housing Act 107 of 1997, and the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act 19 of 1998, little has been done in reality to ensure the implementation of this regulation.
Therefore, Amnesty International urged the government to fulfill its national and international human rights obligations by planning specific budgetary and policy measures to provide adequate housing and upgrade informal settlements. The organization additionally stressed that the government needs to integrate disaster risk reduction into urban planning.
South Africa has experienced multiple climate-related disasters, and the risk of extreme weather events is projected to increase, necessitating urgent government intervention. In June 2025, severe floods affected rural areas of the Eastern Cape province, resulting in 100 deaths and the mass displacement of residents, further intensifying the housing crisis. The apartheid system, which governed South Africa from 1948 to 1994, is widely regarded as a primary cause of the current housing crisis. Apartheid policies centered on land dispossession, forcing black South Africans into peripheral developments lacking urban infrastructure and employment opportunities, making homeownership unattainable. The legacy of these policies persists, as millions continue to reside in informal settlements, unable to afford adequate housing while land ownership remains disproportionately concentrated among the white minority.
The post Rights group urges South Africa to protect citizens’ right to housing appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.