Cape Town’s inadequate housing has led to a rapid increase in informal backyard dwellings—but what is daily life like for those living in these conditions? A recent HSRC study reveals the emotional, physical, and gendered toll experienced by women in these spaces, as they struggle for access to basic services, safety and dignity.

At 5 am, Sandra is already up. She moves quietly in the dim space of her Wendy house—a small wooden structure in the backyard of a formal home. There’s no bathroom inside. No running water, either. She reaches for the bucket she used the night before—to relieve herself, to manage her menstruation—and carries it out to the communal drain, careful not to spill. Photo: Marecia Damons

South Africa faces a persistent urban housing crisis, driven by rapid urbanisation, slow delivery of formal housing, and widespread economic hardship. According to Statistics South Africa’s 2022 Census, around 8% of urban households live in informal housing, although this figure is questioned because of possible undercounting. Some estimates suggest the real figure is closer to 20% in major metros. Many women in particular find informal accommodation in the backyards of formal houses, away from public view. Often seen as a temporary solution to Cape Town’s housing crisis, these structures—small wooden or iron shacks—are also sites of deep emotional and physical hardship. The decision to live in a backyard property is rarely one of choice; it is dictated by limited options and financial constraints.

To unpack the lived realities of backyard housing, Hayley Abrahams, an HSRC master’s trainee and student at the University of Cape Town, conducted a study in Wesbank, Kuilsriver, a low-income area on the outskirts of Cape Town. Her study is linked to the NRF Research Chair in City-Region Economies at the University of the Free State, where the HSRC’s Prof. Andreas Scheba (her co-supervisor) leads research on inclusive and just urban development. All names used are pseudonyms.

Access to water is conditional

Backyard tenants share infrastructure with formal homes—an arrangement that was not originally planned. Access to water and sanitation is often conditional and depends on women’s relationships with their landlords or their ability to trade favours for basic rights. One woman described fetching drinking water only when the landlord or landlady was in a good mood or drunk enough to allow it:

“As long as she is happy, she will allow certain things.”
— Hilda

For the women interviewed, each day is a negotiation. They must coordinate cooking, bathing, and laundry to avoid tripping the power or angering landlords. Such constant coordination becomes a source of daily stress and emotional exhaustion, forcing women to adjust their routines, suppress their needs, and navigate unspoken rules to avoid conflict:

“Every single day, we need to plan and organise who is doing what when it comes to electricity. I feel so restricted, and it’s really exhausting.”
— Fatima

Research participants also expressed how they wait for hours for landlords to return home so they can collect water or use the toilet. Others avoid using the formal house toilets, resorting to buckets inside their cramped dwellings, a practice they say strips away their dignity.

Significant emotional and physical toll on mothers 

Mothers who live in backyard dwellings sacrifice their own comfort and wellbeing in attempts to shield their children from the worst effects of these living conditions. Participants expressed frustration and guilt about their inability to create better conditions and opportunities and provide a safe study environment for their children:

“My boy can’t stay up too late to study because it becomes very dim in my place. And I can only have one little lamp because of the plug.”
— Lorraine

The simple task of regularly fetching water becomes a physically demanding chore. Having to hoist heavy buckets multiple times a day, often in unsafe conditions, is a frequent complaint from women:

“It’s a struggle, because of the up and down, and in and out with the heavy buckets. Wow! My back,” one participant lamented.

At night, disposing of waste, such as menstrual blood mixed with urine in buckets, adds to the mental and emotional strain. Some women described this routine as degrading and exhausting, underscoring the hidden suffering embedded in these daily acts of survival.

Conclusion: Dignity must be built into our city

What this research makes clear is that backyard housing is not just about informal structures; it is about deep, everyday inequalities that remain largely invisible in housing debates. South Africa’s housing crisis cannot be solved through infrastructure alone, as lived realities highlight how infrastructure challenges are distinctly gendered.

The White Paper on Human Settlements acknowledges backyard rental housing as a critical and expanding sector within the broader urban housing system, and identifies it as a priority area for state intervention. It calls for more inclusive policy instruments, better regulation, and targeted support to improve the habitability of backyard dwellings. While this recognition is a welcome development, the policy remains largely silent on the gendered experiences within backyard housing. This study suggests that any state intervention must be gender-sensitive, considering how women disproportionately shoulder the emotional and physical burdens of informal living. If gender is overlooked, policy efforts may unintentionally reinforce existing vulnerabilities rather than resolving them.

Based on the findings, preliminary recommendations include:

• Municipal-level engagement with backyard tenants—especially women—­to inform locally relevant support strategies.
• The integration of women’s lived experiences into housing and human settlements policy processes through participatory research and policy co-design.

This study lays the groundwork for evidence-based engagement and future reform. It reframes backyard housing as not merely a technical issue but a gendered urban justice challenge.

Looking ahead: Pathways for future research and impact

As backyard rental housing continues to expand as a significant housing segment in South Africa, better targeted and inclusive research is needed. This study, while limited to one case study, reveals critical insights into the gendered dynamics of informal living. Future work through the HSRC’s newly launched Human Settlements Research Hub presents an ideal opportunity to deepen this research across different geographies and contexts. By expanding the focus on women’s lived experiences in backyard dwellings, the Hub can support the development of more responsive housing policies and interventions that prioritise dignity, equity, and gender justice.

Research contacts and acknowledgements

Based on her master’s research, this review article was written by Hayley Abrahams, an HSRC master’s trainee and student at the University of Cape Town, with input from Dr Andreas Scheba, a senior research specialist in the HSRC’s Equitable Education and Economies Division. For more information about this work, please contact Abrahams at habrahams@hsrc.ac.za.

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