09/07/2026
The Reconstruction & Development Programme(RDP), which is aimed at housing our impoverished South African citizens, has been a great success in delivering homes for many families. However, as intended, lucky residents go on to become success stories of how these good housing systems have propelled them to achieve milestones in the pursuit of their economic growth. As such, they seek to develop further their government granted structures & that's turned out to be an obstacle for communities who are new to property management systems.
Laws are broken, bypassing local municipality authorities & often not seeing any value that professionals like architects and engineers may add to what seems like a straightforward gigg only construction labourers can do. Perhaps financial constraints are naturally a contributing factor for desperate families, who's growth is happening faster than they can manage. Be as it may, illegal structures pose a threat to the livelihood of our communities. From illegal electricity installations, compromised structural integrity of the proposed extensions & water consumption that's not regulated.
We often deal with clients who have run into countless problems in attempts to cut corners, as they build without understanding the full implications of their decisions on the long run. All property owners are encouraged to cover their properties with insurance companies of their preference, incase of emergencies like fire outbreaks or natural disasters(floods). For the most part, without an approved building plan by the local municipality authorities for an area that requires one...it is impossible to do so.
So we urge our government municipal entities to aid these communities with the relevant information should they need to undertake such developments, and if need be...award funding for municipalities to facilitate the development of plans for clients who can't afford architects and engineers to guarantee safe and durable additions to their properties.
Owner & Creative Director
Luthando I. Madisha
