Minister reveals scale of housing crisis in provinces
Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane has announced a sweeping initiative to resurrect over 200 housing developments that have ground to a halt across the country, in a bid to finally deliver homes to thousands of families left waiting for years.
Speaking during an oral question session in the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday, Simelane disclosed that her department has earmarked roughly 212 projects — classified as blocked, abandoned or stalled — for completion during the 2025/2026 financial year.
"These projects are collectively valued at approximately R37 billion."
The Free State bears the brunt of the backlog, with 154 incomplete projects demanding immediate attention. According to Simelane, numerous developments in the province were left in limbo after contractors walked off site or delivered substandard work. In certain cases, only foundations or concrete slabs had been poured, while elsewhere inferior building materials rendered completed structures unfit for habitation.
Gauteng, meanwhile, has 12 stalled developments on its books, though these tend to be large-scale undertakings — primarily hostel conversions and upgrades — that affect considerable numbers of households. KwaZulu-Natal accounts for nine halted projects, Limpopo four, Mpumalanga two, and the Northern Cape three. The Eastern Cape has no formally stalled schemes, although Simelane flagged persistent difficulties with mud housing that demand dedicated intervention.
Decade-old developments prioritised for revival
In the North West, 21 mega projects have been flagged, each serving between 500 and 800 households. Administrative bottlenecks have been identified as the chief obstacle to progress in the province. The Western Cape has seven blocked developments, where infrastructure limitations, land shortages and legal battles have hampered delivery.
"Most of the projects will emanate even from a court outcome or a court finding, or in the middle, they will take one another to court, and that stalls projects. We have taken steps to make sure that there's multiple interventions and ratifications."
Simelane confirmed the department is channelling its efforts toward projects that have languished for a decade or longer, with particular emphasis on the North West and Free State. Developments dating back to the period between 2006 and 2014 have been singled out for reactivation. The government is simultaneously working to unlock the Community Residential Units programme and bolster bulk infrastructure provision through ring-fenced allocations within housing grants.
During the previous financial year, more than 200 projects were identified for unblocking, yielding at least 815 completed housing units across the country. The department is also reinforcing provincial support through conditional grants to ensure stalled schemes receive priority, including interventions in emergency housing and disaster-stricken areas.
"In provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, some projects were delayed due to disasters and slow responses, leaving beneficiaries without homes for extended periods."
Simelane noted that headway has been made in resettling communities displaced by earlier disasters, including flood survivors in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, though several rehabilitation projects remain under way.
South Africa's persistent housing backlog directly affects millions awaiting adequate shelter, and the revival of these 212 stalled projects could provide relief to communities that have endured broken promises for over a decade. The R37 billion commitment signals renewed urgency, yet provincial challenges ranging from contractor failures to legal disputes and infrastructure shortages suggest delivery will remain uneven. Whether this initiative translates into completed homes will depend on sustained funding, administrative reform, and effective oversight at provincial level.
