PUB1602 Assignment 2
(COMPLETE ANSWERS)
Semester 1 2026 - DUE April
2026
[Document subtitle]
[School]
[Course title]
, Exam (elaborations)
PUB1602 Assignment 2 (COMPLETE ANSWERS) Semester 1 2026 - DUE April 2026
Institution
University Of South Africa (Unisa)
Course
Human Settlements Management I (PUB1602)
PUB1602 Assignment 2 (COMPLETE ANSWERS) Semester 1 2026 - DUE April 2026; 100%
TRUSTED Complete, trusted solutions and explanations
Explain how the Native Land Act contributed to unequal land ownership and settlement patterns
in South Africa. Discuss how this historical land inequality continues to influence housing
shortages, informal settlements and land reform challenges after apartheid. Discuss the impact of
apartheid-era legislation on the spatial planning and human settlement patterns in South Africa.
In your answer, refer to at least two key laws and explain how they continue to influence post-
apartheid housing challenges.
1. The Native Land Act of 1913 and Unequal Land Ownership
The Native Land Act of 1913 was one of the most significant pieces of legislation shaping
unequal land ownership in South Africa. The Act restricted Black South Africans to owning or
leasing land in designated “native reserves,” which constituted only about 7–13% of the total
land area, while the white minority controlled the remaining majority of land.
Contribution to Unequal Land Ownership
Black South Africans were legally prohibited from buying or renting land outside the
reserves.
Large-scale, fertile agricultural land was reserved for white ownership.
African communities were forcibly removed from productive land and relocated to
overcrowded, underdeveloped areas.
Impact on Settlement Patterns
Overcrowding in reserves led to land degradation and poverty.
, Many Black South Africans became migrant labourers in urban areas but were denied
permanent urban residence.
This created a pattern of rural underdevelopment and urban exclusion that persists
today.
2. Continuing Influence on Housing Shortages and Informal Settlements
Housing Shortages
The land dispossession caused by the Native Land Act meant that Black South Africans entered
the post-apartheid period with limited access to land and assets. This has resulted in:
A shortage of well-located land for low-income housing.
High costs of acquiring land near economic centres.
Long waiting lists for government-subsidised housing.
Informal Settlements
Because land near cities remains expensive and historically white-owned:
Many people settle informally on the urban periphery.
Informal settlements often lack basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity.
These settlements mirror apartheid spatial layouts—poor communities far from jobs and
services.
3. Apartheid-Era Legislation and Spatial Planning
Apartheid laws deliberately structured cities and towns along racial lines, shaping spatial
planning and human settlement patterns.
(a) Group Areas Act of 1950
The Group Areas Act enforced residential and business segregation based on race.
Impact on Spatial Planning:
Forced removals of Black, Coloured and Indian communities from city centres.
Creation of townships far from economic hubs.
White areas were well serviced, while Black areas were neglected.
Post-Apartheid Influence:
(COMPLETE ANSWERS)
Semester 1 2026 - DUE April
2026
[Document subtitle]
[School]
[Course title]
, Exam (elaborations)
PUB1602 Assignment 2 (COMPLETE ANSWERS) Semester 1 2026 - DUE April 2026
Institution
University Of South Africa (Unisa)
Course
Human Settlements Management I (PUB1602)
PUB1602 Assignment 2 (COMPLETE ANSWERS) Semester 1 2026 - DUE April 2026; 100%
TRUSTED Complete, trusted solutions and explanations
Explain how the Native Land Act contributed to unequal land ownership and settlement patterns
in South Africa. Discuss how this historical land inequality continues to influence housing
shortages, informal settlements and land reform challenges after apartheid. Discuss the impact of
apartheid-era legislation on the spatial planning and human settlement patterns in South Africa.
In your answer, refer to at least two key laws and explain how they continue to influence post-
apartheid housing challenges.
1. The Native Land Act of 1913 and Unequal Land Ownership
The Native Land Act of 1913 was one of the most significant pieces of legislation shaping
unequal land ownership in South Africa. The Act restricted Black South Africans to owning or
leasing land in designated “native reserves,” which constituted only about 7–13% of the total
land area, while the white minority controlled the remaining majority of land.
Contribution to Unequal Land Ownership
Black South Africans were legally prohibited from buying or renting land outside the
reserves.
Large-scale, fertile agricultural land was reserved for white ownership.
African communities were forcibly removed from productive land and relocated to
overcrowded, underdeveloped areas.
Impact on Settlement Patterns
Overcrowding in reserves led to land degradation and poverty.
, Many Black South Africans became migrant labourers in urban areas but were denied
permanent urban residence.
This created a pattern of rural underdevelopment and urban exclusion that persists
today.
2. Continuing Influence on Housing Shortages and Informal Settlements
Housing Shortages
The land dispossession caused by the Native Land Act meant that Black South Africans entered
the post-apartheid period with limited access to land and assets. This has resulted in:
A shortage of well-located land for low-income housing.
High costs of acquiring land near economic centres.
Long waiting lists for government-subsidised housing.
Informal Settlements
Because land near cities remains expensive and historically white-owned:
Many people settle informally on the urban periphery.
Informal settlements often lack basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity.
These settlements mirror apartheid spatial layouts—poor communities far from jobs and
services.
3. Apartheid-Era Legislation and Spatial Planning
Apartheid laws deliberately structured cities and towns along racial lines, shaping spatial
planning and human settlement patterns.
(a) Group Areas Act of 1950
The Group Areas Act enforced residential and business segregation based on race.
Impact on Spatial Planning:
Forced removals of Black, Coloured and Indian communities from city centres.
Creation of townships far from economic hubs.
White areas were well serviced, while Black areas were neglected.
Post-Apartheid Influence:
