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When the democratic regime was set up in South Africa a “right to housing” was inscribed in the new constitution, in the name of rectification of the injustices of the past. Implementation of this law has, in the first instance, taken the form of a policy of access to home-ownership and to domiciliary services intended for the poorer sections of society. This article takes the case of Cape Town, to examine the changes and adjustments that have affected the initial objective, and also the repercussions on the situation of those for whom the law was intended.