Workings of Township Residential Property Markets Study: Phase 2 – Detailed Research – Contextual Review Report

This report is part of the study into Township Residential Property Markets (TRPM) conducted in 2003 and 2004 and sponsored by the FinMark Trust, Ford Foundation, Micro Finance Regulatory Council / USAID, the South African National Treasury and the National Housing Finance Corporation. The study considered the performance and dynamics of property markets in South Africa’s former black townships.  The methodology involved a overall literature review, deeds search, survey of estate agents and developers, windshield survey, a household survey of 2000 respondents over 18 former black township areas in South Africa, and a survey of entrepreneurs.  Eighteen reports were prepared over the three phases.

This particular report provides an overview of the context in which the different settlements surveyed for the study find themselves, including a literature review of exisiting research regarding the settlements; a visual assessment of the areas to determine the extent of households in terms of their residential properties; interviews with long term residents and interviews with estate agents and developers active in the area.