South Africa elections: The housing issue

In just a few hours, South Africans will be headed to the polls to choose their president.

But many will not be casting their ballots. They have been disillusioned by long standing promises of free education, jobs and housing.

The government has been looking at new technologies to help solve especially the housing issue.

An analytics company based in Johannesburg has come up with a system that’s likely to fast track the process.

“The city of Joburg and Kite capital has partnered really to create new opportunities in the housing sector. And specifically to look at bringing housing to those people who cannot afford housing.
By using technology, what we did was create an algorithm that essentially is able to rank and prioritize people who are the most vulnerable in the city that require housing,” said Steven Narsoo, the CEO for Kite capital.

Currently, there are 30 major projects that have been completed through Kite’s initiative.

To identify people who are desperately in need of houses, especially the elderly and women with young children. But it’s not just about delivering houses.

“It’s important to target investment because that allows you to get more bang for your buck and better return on your investment. And the city has in terms of its own development framework, a series of different areas that they are now targeting . One such area is the inner city. The other important investment area is places like Soweto, that has a large population,” said the CEO.

The ANC led government has made some progress in the last 25 years. But fully addressing the imbalances of the past will take time.

As the country holds its 6th democratic elections, it’s decision time for South Africans to make the right choice, that will lead to changes especially in the housing sector.