THE HOUSING POLICY OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT DURING the next five years South Africa will build one and a half million homes, which amounts to 300,000 per annum. This is to make good the enormous deficit inherited from apartheid as well as to accommodate the new growth. The total deficit is estimated at three million homes. By the way, at the present time 23 million homes lack electricity, 21 million lack a sewage disposal system, and 12 million lack piped water. HOUSING in South Africa is regarded among other things as an instrument for the implementation of the Reconstruction and Development Programme, the official policy for the transformation of South African society. This programme is aimed at meeting basic needs, developing human resources, and building the economy. Because of the lack of funds for large-scale construction techniques, building homes is very labour-intensive in this country. The implementation of the housing programme could therefore generate a considerable number of jobs. THE problems in the black townships are enormous. First of all, there are enormous rent arrears, which were used for a long time as a political instrument, but which have now become a culture. This reduces the elbow-room to tackle the housing issue. Another urgent problem is the growth of violence in the townships. The tremendous unemployment among men is often cited in this connection, but the main problem is that of affordable housing. This too has an urban dimension. THE poor and black population are looking for homes nearer the centre (where they work). This leads to their living on land reserved for roads, building land, public areas and on the pavement. This is one of the reasons why attention is drawn to the need for a further concentration and increased efficiency of urban functioning (in terms of accessibility and surveillance). The alternatives vary from on-site upgrading or the introduction of new typologies to proposals for 'multi-storey rented accommodation in mixed-use activity corridors'.