3D printing is a key element in solving South Africa’s housing crisis
In 2021, research from the Academy of Science of South Africa (Assaf) and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) indicated that the backlog in urban housing is more than 2.4 million houses, with many families living in informal settlements.
According to Statistics South Africa, approximately 2,600 informal settlements in South Africa accommodate about 1.4 million households. History has demonstrated that South Africa can construct over 160,000 homes per year in the government-subsidised sector and 80,000 homes per year in the private sector.
However, since 2009, the delivery of government-subsidised houses has dropped at an alarming rate, indicating that the government and the private sector require significant intervention. There has been a clarion call for sustainable solutions to address this crisis, particularly with growing urbanisation trends.