South Africa’s president launches a housing plan for shantytowns; 400,000 homes in 4 years

South Africa’s president launches shantytown plan

PRETORIA, South Africa — South Africa’s president says the government will launch an ambitious plan to build 400,000 homes for people living in shacks on the outskirts of the nation’s cities.

President Jacob Zuma says the state aims to provide the new homes with “essential services” by 2014, paid for out of state budgets.

He said Thursday that Cabinet ministers and top officials approved the program during a retreat. The South African Institute of Race Relations in recent research says about 14 percent of poor households in the country live in shacks and shantytowns outside cities.

Crime and unrest over inadequate housing and utilities are common in South Africa’s burgeoning squatter camps known officially as “informal settlements.”