Sijekula Mbanga

The South African polity, since democracy, has witnessed significant shifts in state policy calling for the increasing professionalisation of the civil service in general through the National Development Plan (NDP) and the National Professionalisation Framework (NPF) for the public service. The rationale behind these has been to build a capable and efficient state. This article presents a critical review of literature pertaining to professionalisation of the civil service as it relates to the human settlements sector in South Africa, with a particular focus on the major causes of inefficiencies in service delivery. The article argues that beyond the calls for overall professionalisation, the human settlements professional project has a more specific history which has been a systemic response to sector deficiencies and constraints. Therefore, this study will necessarily consider existing policy frameworks, as well as selected empirical evidence on the professionalisation of human settlements in South Africa. The article examines international trends and local directions in professionalisation, as well as considering key leverage points for the domestication of an implementation framework to guide professionalisation in the arena of human settlements for enhanced service delivery, improved quality of household life, and economic progress. The main findings emphasise strong alignment between sector deficiencies and professionalisation objectives. The article argues for a more rapid advancement of professionalisation processes to address the significant systemic weaknesses across the human settlements sector, and suggests that these have created systemic barriers to effective service delivery of human settlements. The study takes care not to advance professionalisation as a panacea and highlights potential negative impacts of professionalisation efforts. The study highlights significant developments at the policy, institutional, and interorganisational level to nurture progress towards sector professionalisation. New organisations operating in dynamic networks and partnerships are emerging to collaborate to support sector-wide professionalisation efforts.

This paper reviews the potential of plastic-based bricks as sustainable alternatives for affordable housing delivery. The aim is to identify whether, and under what conditions, plastic-based bricks could transition from “peripheral” innovation to a core strategy in sustainable, affordable housing delivery. A critical literature review focuses on the environmental performance of plastic-based masonry materials, implementation barriers, and integration within current construction systems. The review was conducted analysing international and local research on plastic-based bricks through the lens of lifecycle thinking, circular economy, and regenerative sustainability frameworks. The findings show that plastic-based bricks offer strong environmental potential by reducing embodied carbon, diverting waste, and lowering resource dependency. However, their adoption remains limited due to regulatory exclusion, a lack of standardised lifecycle assessment data, and institutional resistance within the construction sector, but when enabling conditions are in place, plastic-based bricks have the potential to contribute meaningfully to sustainable and affordable housing. As the study draws solely from literature, further localised empirical testing, region-specific lifecycle assessments, and long-term performance validation are needed for them to be accepted and upscaled. The paper aligns with the Construction 5.0 agenda and the subtheme of Sustainable Construction and Environment by positioning plastic-based bricks as circular, low-carbon masonry materials.

Exclusive residential developments have drawn growing attention in South African cities, where urbanisation and socioeconomic disparities continue to reshape the built environment. This study examines the underlying drivers of their proliferation and presents a taxonomy of the key forces influencing their growth. The aim is to present results of a study that sought to examine the driving forces behind the growth of exclusive residential developments. Drawing from a literature review and a quantitative inquiry approach, primary data was also collected from 109 built environment professionals. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods, particularly exploratory factor analysis (EFA), were employed to enhance the analysis. The descriptive assessment, utilising the mean score (MS) ranking technique, revealed that one of the primary factors influencing the development of exclusive residential communities was the perception among prospective residents that these environments offer enhanced safety and security. Additionally, there is a good chance that these developments may increase in value. Furthermore, the EFA revealed that the underlying grouped factors for exclusive development were ‘free market capitalism’; ‘safety and security’; ‘local demand’; ‘public–private partnership (PPP)’; ‘affordability’; and ‘profit seeking’. These findings suggest that if housing costs rise, the average citizen may not be able to afford them due to the emphasis on maximising profits over affordability. Safety and security precautions can create a sense of exclusivity and seclusion in these communities, possibly cutting them off from the larger local community and affecting local demand for goods and services outside the community’s borders.

The phenomenon of exclusive residential developments has gained substantial attention in the context of South African cities, where urbanisation and socioeconomic disparities have shaped the built environment in unique ways. This study, therefore, delves into the taxonomy of driving forces that underpin the proliferation of exclusive residential developments within these urban centres. The aim is to present results of a study that sought to examine the driving forces behind the growth of exclusive residential developments. Drawing from a literature review and a quantitative inquiry approach, primary data was also collected from 109 built environment professionals. Descriptive and inferential statistics, specifically exploratory factor analysis (EFA), were used to supplement this. According to the descriptive analysis utilising the mean score (MS) ranking technique, the perception among potential residents that exclusive residential communities provide a safer living environment was one of the higher up-front driving forces for exclusive residential developments. Additionally, there is a good chance that these developments may increase in value. Furthermore, the EFA revealed that the underlying grouped factors for exclusive development were: ‘free market capitalism’; ‘safety and security’; ‘local demand’; ‘PPP’; ‘affordability’; and ‘profit seeking’. These findings suggest that if housing costs rise, the average citizen may not be able to afford them due to the emphasis on maximising profits over affordability. Safety and security precautions can create a sense of exclusivity and seclusion in these communities, possibly cutting them off from the larger local community and affecting local demand for goods and services outside the community's borders.

The rapid increase in volume and variety of solid waste as a result of continuous economic growth, urbanization, and industrialization has become an intractable problem for the public and private sectors, making it difficult to ensure effective and sustainable waste management. The study sought to understand the perspective of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal residents on their perceived influence of municipal waste management on economic development. The study used a quantitative techniques approach, with a structured questionnaire. Data was collected from 255 respondents. The quantitative question aimed to determine if the influence was positive or negative, and the Likert scale question had a scale of 1 to 5. This research identified various types of waste, assessed challenges, and evaluated waste's potential for resource creation. The study concluded that municipal waste includes organic, paper, plastic, metal, glass, food, garden, hazardous, construction, demolition, and non-recyclable waste. Environmental pollution is a major challenge, and 26 factors positively influence waste to wealth. Waste to wealth can be achieved through social behavior, education/knowledge, MSWM governance, and economic feasibility for MSWM. The research also highlighted the importance of land attributes, budget allocation, trained personnel, and government regulations. The framework proposed aims to minimize urban poverty while preserving the environment and supporting the present urban economy. Urban communities can utilize solid waste management as a mechanism to foster economic development. The fundamental question is whether stakeholders will continue to ignore waste's potential demands and benefits for urban economic growth.

This article aims to assess the benefits of floor slab insulation measures using extruded polystyrene (XPS) and polyisocyanurate (also referred to as polyiso or PIR) insulation materials at various levels of insulation thicknesses for a detached residential building. An EnergyPlus simulation analysis was carried out within the seven energy zones (represented by eight locations) of South Africa in accordance with the South African national code for building energy efficiency (SANS10400-XA). The energy savings and payback periods related to the use of the insulation over a lifecycle period of 50 years were assessed. Cape Town (zone 4) behaved differently from other locations and hardly benefited from the application of floor slab insulation measures. Generally, polyiso (PIR) insulation performed better than XPS for vertical gap insulation, and lower insulation thicknesses required higher insulation depths to maximize energy savings. Similarly, lower insulation thicknesses (25 mm and 50 mm) required higher perimeter insulation widths to maximize energy savings for horizontal perimeter insulation, especially in Sutherland (zone 6) and Cape Town. The maximization of energy savings was also achieved at low insulation thickness for the full floor slab insulation method, except for Sutherland and Fraserburg (zone 7). The locations that benefitted most from the floor slab insulation methods were Pretoria (zone 5), Thohoyandou (zone 3), Sutherland (zone 6), Fraserburg (zone 7), Welkom (zone 1), Ixopo (zone 5H), Witbank (zone 2), and Cape Town (zone 4), in that order. Generally, higher net energy savings are achieved in areas with lower humidity levels and areas with greater annual sums of both cooling and heating degree days.

This article aims to assess the benefits of floor-slab insulation measures using extruded polystyrene (XPS) and polyisocyanurate (polyiso) insulation materials at various levels of insulation thicknesses for a detached residential building. The EnergyPlus simulation analysis was carried out within the seven energy zones (represented by eight locations) of South Africa in accordance with the South African national code for building energy efficiency (SANS10400-XA). The energy savings and payback periods due to use of the insulation over a lifecycle period of 50 years were assessed. Cape Town (zone 4) behaved differently from other locations and hardly benefitted from the application of floor-slab insulation measures. Generally, polyiso insulation performed better than XPS, for vertical gap insulation. For vertical gap insulation, lower insulation thicknesses required higher insulation depths to maximize energy savings. Similarly, lower insulation thicknesses required higher perimeter insulation widths maximize energy savings, for horizontal perimeter insulation method. The locations that benefitted most from vertical gap floor-slab insulation were Pretoria (zone2), Kimberley (zone6), Nelspruit (zone3), Fraserburg (zone7), Welkom (zone1), Mthatha (zone5), Ixopo (zone5H) and Cape Town (zone4) in that order. This order was almost similar with those for the horizontal perimeter floor-slab insulation and horizontal full floor-slab insulation methods.