Quality of low-income housing projects in South Africa

Abstract

One of the major duties of any government is to ensure that there are enough houses for the citizen. In view of the shortage, government and many private organisations have been involved in the provision and production of houses for the populace. It is therefore necessary to examine the level of conformance of these houses to acceptable level of quality. Several literature materials were reviewed and various factors causing low quality of buildings were extracted accordingly. To examine these factors, quantitative research method was adopted through administration of close-ended questionnaires on relevant construction professionals, which include Quantity Surveyors, Construction Managers, Architects, Engineers, Town Planners and Project Managers who have been involved in low-income housing projects in South Africa. Factors that contributes to non-adherence to required quality in low-income housing projects are poor site management, less focus on quality and much on production, focus on time by contractor, inadequate contractor's quality expertise and usage of inexperienced personnel. The implication of these are tarnished image of the professionals involved in the project, defective buildings, unsafe structures and cost overruns. In order to ensure conformance to quality of these houses, contractors that handles construction of low-income houses should be knowledgeable with the National Builders Regulations and there should be monitoring and sufficient inspection of work in progress. Other measures include training and education of stakeholders, use of skilled labours, planning and risk assessment as well as use of appropriate construction materials.