The South African democratic government that came into power in 1994 introduced the hostel redevelopment programme with the aim of improving the living conditions of public hostel dwellers. Overcrowding was one of the living conditions this programme sought to address in order to ensure that hostel dwellers have adequate housing and privacy. This article argues that the hostel redevelopment programme was not effectively implemented at the Kagiso Hostel as hostel dwellers have no privacy due to overcrowding. A mixed methodologies approach was employed. The findings revealed that 75.6% of the hostel dwellers did not live with their dependants owing to overcrowding of their rooms. The study recommends that the Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) should develop proper mechanisms in order to effectively manage and control the hostel blocks and for hostel development planning purposes.