What are the solutions to the housing problem in South Africa? The lack of affordable housing in South Africa is a well-documented problem. The housing backlog reportedly stands at 2.3-million houses and is growing by around 178 000 houses a year. Neither the public nor the formal private sector appears to be able to close this gap. Part 1 Part property developer, part township entrepreneur The mandates of traditional property finance providers and banks do not afford them the luxury of developing finance products catering to this crop of entrepreneurs, who are part property developer, part township entrepreneur. Concerns cited are the potential for defaults and construction risk, as well as the strength of the underlying security, which would be required in the case of mortgage loans. Some of these concerns seem to rest upon misperceptions of the township context. Construction risk, for instance, assumes that construction in the townships is typically of low quality, but this is not necessarily true. In some areas, building inspectors are building a database of local contractors and working closely with them to ensure that they follow the approved plans. This trend towards formalisation means that it can be expected that the construction risk will also decrease. Creating a more enabling environment for micro developers will require funders that are not only about the numbers – and are able to take a long-term, developmental perspective. Fortunately, there are some organisations that are stepping up to give micro developers a chance, using innovative approaches that combine access to financing with strong networks, and training to provide them with targeted support and advice. The Trust for Urban Housing Finance (TUHF), for example – which was pioneered by leading South African development finance organisations in Johannesburg – has partnered with other asset managers and commercial banks to finance over R4-billion in inner city residential rental property and helped hundreds of property entrepreneurs with their developments over the past decade. TUHF’s pilot project, uMaStandi, provides micro-developers with tailor-made mortgage loan facilities, training and mentorship to help them achieve their goals. The Development Action Group (DAG) is also experimenting with new approaches. With its Zanethemba initiative it is working with local developers to develop a 3 300m2 piece of land in Khayelitsha into affordable medium-density rental accommodation. DAG project manager Zama Mgwatyu writes in an e-book: “We are testing new ideas here. Then we can start to share the learnings with government, and with financial institutions like banks, who were previously reluctant to work with emerging developers.” A third example can be found in Hustlenomics, winner of the SAB Foundation Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards 2018, and a social enterprise that gives low income families, who have informal backyard shacks, the opportunity to build durable structures in their place. Using alternative building technology, including interlocking bricks made from recycled materials, the new structures are built at no cost to the owners. They are financed using an innovative shared-home financing model, where rental income, generated from the completed structure, is used to pay off development costs, after which full-ownership of the structure is handed over to the landowner. Considering the many obstacles facing the delivery of housing and the growing tensions caused by increasing unaffordability, the imperative to build on these innovative approaches and craft effective solutions for all stakeholders could not be clearer. By recognising what is working, empowering at the grassroots and finding ways to mobilise existing resources to scale these successes, we can ensure South Africa makes progress towards meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable) and achieve inclusive growth.