Investigating the feasibility of the use of Moladi construction technology to assist in-situ upgrading in informal settlements within the eThekwini Metropolitan area.

Abstract

The existing South African housing backlog confronting the residents is daunting. With the current investigations displaying that the backlog is not depleting or not reaching levels anticipated by the democratic government, the stakeholders of low-income housing sector are facing an immense challenge. Most houses constructed after 1994 utilised conventional brick and mortar construction, with alternative construction methods of housing only taking up an insignificant portion in the total housing supply. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of Moladi construction technology as a valid alternative to the traditional low-cost housing model, in terms of delivery time, quality and total cost. Social acceptance is also analysed as a parameter that affects the success of Moladi construction model. This parameter represents the basis that indicates the feasibility of a new method implementation. Hence, the study dealt with the potential impacts of implementing an alternative construction technology for in-situ upgrading projects, and in particular for the case study of Piesang River and Namibia Stop 8 settlements in Inanda, under the eThekwini Municipality jurisdiction. The main purpose of this study is to assess the level of willingness of low-income residents to use alternative construction technologies instead of the conventional ones, with the aim of reducing time and cost delivery, while not compromising the overall quality. Moreover, this research seeks to estimate the role of community participation in planning and implementation phases of housing projects. The study applied a comparative research design by means of case studies and is based on qualitative research methods. The findings indicate that the use of alternative construction can be considered a satisfactory solution to low-income groups, more so in the informal settlements due to cost, speed of construction and quality production. Thus, the proposed recommendations suggest that the city administration should be given more attention to the use of less costly alternative materials and technologies without affecting the quality of construction. Finally, the government policy intervention, in conformity with the introduction of new construction technology that could be managed by the beneficiaries themselves, should get serious attention. Allowing for a sense of ownership for these housing projects from the beneficiaries. The findings of the research point out that using Moladi as an option to assist or replace the conventional brick and mortar built housing will be feasible due its ability to reduce cost, time while not compromising quality.