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Extending water and sanitation services to backyard tenants
Last year, Isandla Institute sourced a legal opinion from a Senior Counsel, focusing on the obligations and powers of municipalities to provide basic services for backyard dwellers on private land. This showed that there was no legal obstacle to providing these services. Based on this, Isandla Institute commissioned a paper, informed by interviews with stakeholders, on the impact of backyard…
Legal opinion on service provision to backyard residents living on private land
One of the largest barriers to service provision to backyard residents living on private land is the long-held belief that the Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA) renders it is illegal to spend public money on private properties. To test this belief, Isandla Institute commissioned a legal opinion from a Senior Counsel on the power, authority, and obligations of local governments…
About Us
Isandla Institute is a key role player in the local governance sector, an important analytical voice on urban development issues, a convener of spaces of dialogue on urban citizenship, a producer of quality research, and a thought leader on issues such as informal settlements upgrading, urban governance and local level planning systems
Key Focus Areas
Urban Land
Promoting planning frameworks and land management systems that advance urban spatial transformation, the social function of and sustainability development.
Urban Governance
Promoting accountable, democratic, responsive, integrated and resilient systems of governance, as well as citizen agency in place making.
Urban Livelihoods
Contributing to systems, processes, policies and planning that enable endogenous development, meaningful work and sustainable livelihoods.