A significant and growing number of urban residents in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region now live in small-scale rental accommodation. These structures, often provided by individual homeowners and emerging entrepreneurs, are more habitable than rudimentary dwellings and more affordable than formal houses.
Recognising the importance of this sector, the University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Centre for Development Support co-hosted a workshop titled: Small-scale rental housing in the Southern African region (5-7 August 2024). The event was convened by Prof Abraham Matamanda, Associate Professor in the UFS Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Deputy Chair of the NRF SARChI Chair in City-Region Economies; Prof Andreas Scheba, Senior Research Specialist in the Equitable Education and Economies division of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and Associate Professor in the Centre for Development Support; and Dr Lucia Khetsi-Leboto, a postdoctoral fellow in the Centre for Development Support. The workshop aimed to conduct in-depth academic and policy discussions on the significance of small-scale rental housing as well as to present key findings from past research.
Knowledge exchange and collaborative learning
The three-day event brought together more than 40 key collaborators, including scholars, government officials, and civil society representatives from across the SADC region, representing countries such as South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Eswatini. Participants engaged in group discussions on critical sector issues, including drivers and typologies, policies and regulations, financing, and tenant rights. These discussions were further enriched by a hybrid public webinar titled Housing and Economic Development in the SADC Region: The Role of Small-Scale Rental Accommodation, which attracted more than 120 attendees from South Africa and beyond.
The webinar was facilitated by UFS delegates, including Prof Paul Oberholster, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Prof Ivan Turok, who holds the SARChI Research Chair in City-Region Economies, Prof Lochner Marais, Professor of Development Studies in the Centre for Development Support (CDS), Bonolo Makhalemele from the Office for International Affairs, Prof Scheba, Dr Khetsi-Leboto, and Prof Matamanda. Also on the panel were Prof Sharlene Swartz, Divisional Executive of the Equitable Education and Economies division at the Human Sciences Research Council, and David Gardner, a public policy development and housing specialist and Principal of Mukhalu Consultants.
In addition to the seminar, Prof Scheba led a session on researching informal rental housing methods, interdisciplinary approaches, and ethics. This session provided valuable insights into the complexities of studying informal housing and underscored the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.
First-hand look at living in small-scale rental accommodation
Workshop participants visited Bochabela, Rocklands, and surrounding informal settlements, gaining first-hand insight into small-scale rental accommodation. According to Prof Matamanda, the visits aimed to highlight the spatial inequalities in Bloemfontein, which contribute to housing challenges and limit access to services and economic opportunities. The excursions also provided valuable insights into the lived realities of households in townships and small-scale rental housing.
Research findings presented at the workshop revealed several important factors driving the growth of small-scale rental housing. Prof Matamanda believes that the lack of formal affordable housing is a primary driver, pushing demand for informally constructed rental accommodation. “These structures often emerge from homeowners’ need to either provide for their families or generate income, with available space and infrastructure on large plots facilitating their development. However, challenges persist, including poor quality materials, inadequate access to basic services, overcrowding, environmental impacts, and conflicts between landlords and tenants. The research also highlighted weak governance systems and the lack of affordable financing as significant barriers to the sector’s sustainable growth,” he said.
Aligned with the UFS’ Vision 130, the event addressed the societal issue of housing and explored how the university can collaborate with both the private and public sectors to tackle development policy challenges. Housing is directly linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 1 on poverty and SDG 11 on sustainable settlements. In addition to establishing partnerships, the workshop served as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaborative learning, laying the foundation for future research outputs, including journal articles, an edited book, and policy briefs.
Participants praised the workshop – made possible by financial support from the NRF SARChI Chair in City-Region Economies – for its vital role in advancing knowledge and establishing collaboration in the small-scale rental housing sector.
This story was written by Leonie Bulleurs and first appeared on the University of the Free State website
