Vulnerability plays a pivotal role in the daily lives of South Africans, whether it’s on the basis of gender, socio-economic status, age or any other factor. Many of these vulnerabilities are compounding, which increases one’s susceptibility and risk to violence and crime exponentially. Intersectionality serves as a valuable lens through which to view and understand vulnerability and the power relations it emanates from. It brings to light factors of exclusion, marginalisation and privilege/power, which is essential for effective area-based violence prevention interventions (ABVPI). ABVPI is also enriched by adopting an outcomes-based approach which gives better insights into what works and what does not work, because it allows one to assess whether actions are having the desired impact or contribute to the envisaged change. Being explicit about outcomes also moves the conversation beyond undefined qualifiers, such as ‘safe’, ‘inclusive’ or ‘resilient’, that often have a ‘feel good’ factor associated with them, but can mean different things to different people. Effective and inclusive violence and crime prevention is informed by an understanding of where different factors of power and vulnerability emanate from and how these factors interact, as well as an explicit and intentional focus on working towards building a common understanding and harmonised practice towards safer neighbourhoods.

This Practice Brief draws on the presentations and discussions at the second SPRINT Champions Event, held in May 2023, which brought together representatives from national, provincial and local government and civil society organisations. It is targeted at urban practitioners who want to contribute to making neighbourhoods and cities more inclusive, vibrant and safe. It does this by offering key insights shared by other practitioners who participated in the Champions Event.

Crime and violence are intrusive with both immediate and long-term implications for communities. This is particularly true for those who live in under-resourced neighbourhoods, such as backyard residents and people living in informal settlements. The converging crises of load shedding, water shortages and critical service infrastructure collapse further perpetuate the underlying conditions which allow for crime and violence to flourish. This not only impacts communities; it also creates a climate of risk for organisations working in these areas. In this context, it is clear that a security-focussed response only yields limited results. This practice brief outlines the constitutional framework for safety and security as well as the pillars of area-based violence prevention interventions (ABVPI). It examines the key factors that make ABVPIs sustainable and draws on a successful project from practice to gain important lessons for replicability.

This is the final learning brief produced by Isandla Institute under the Safer Places: Resilient Institutes and Neighbourhoods Together (SPRINT) Project. The brief highlights the importance of schools in offering a positive learning and interactive environment and as a potential entry point for area-based violence prevention interventions (ABVPI). It provides context as to the extent in which schools are affected by violence and crime and offers examples from practice of how the safety and security of both students and staff can be secured, both on school grounds and on the journey to/from school. It further explores how schools can be seen as community assets that can become beacons of safety and resilience for the community at large.

Public parks provide for natural beauty and recreational space and play a vital role in creating a sense of community. If not activated or maintained, public parks can become neglected, uncomfortable and even unsafe.  Drawing on work done by the City of Johannesburg and partners to upgrade green public spaces through collaboration and co-creation with stakeholders and community, this SPRINT learning brief argues that the provision of quality public green spaces is vital in creating safer, inclusive neighbourhoods. The brief highlights six factors of good practice for co-producing, managing and activating green public spaces.

Evidence-informed violence and crime prevention interventions make neighbourhoods more inclusive, vibrant and safe because they allow the interventions to better reflect and address key issues for all people in that space. Safety audits and community safety forums are two mechanisms for robust community engagements that generate evidence. In addition, bringing stakeholders together, such as through communities of practice (CoP), allows us to learn from one another’s successes and challenges so that good work can be up-scaled and adapted. This brief discusses why local evidence is critical to inform effective violence and crime prevention interventions and how inclusive methodologies, such as safety audits, can provided grounded evidence. It also highlights how a CoP can be a critical source of ongoing peer learning, support and action. It further includes project examples that indirectly or directly, address risk factors to crime and violence and as such contribute to safer neighbourhoods.

This Practice Brief draws on the presentations and discussions at the first SPRINT Champions Event, held in October 2022, which brought together representatives from national, provincial and local government and civil society organisations. It is targeted at urban practitioners who want to contribute to making neighbourhoods and cities more inclusive, vibrant and safe. It does this by offering key insights shared by other practitioners who participated in the Champions Event.

This SPRINT learning brief highlights how different groups of youth are particularly vulnerable as both victims and perpetuators of violence and crime. It also highlights that while there are some shared characteristics and experiences, it is important to understand these different groups and how they experience spaces differently. The brief shares examples of work done to build the resilience of youth and empower them. Finally, using the 8 key ingredients for ABVPI, the brief distills key lessons from practice in using ABVPI for and with youth and proposes six key lessons which can be drawn on.

This is the tenth brief in the series of learning briefs produced by Isandla Institute under the Safer Places: Resilient Institutes and Neighbourhoods Together (SPRINT) Project. The brief highlights how spatial factors can influence gender-based vulnerability to violence and crime as characteristics of space can determine whether that space is/feels inclusive and safe or unsafe to some social groups. The brief shares examples of work done to activate spaces and to make them more safe and inclusive. Finally, using the 8 key ingredients for ABVPI, the brief distills key lessons from practice in using ABVPI to prevent gender based violence and crime and proposes four critical actions that can bring about more inclusive public space.

The Safer Places: Resilient Institutions and Neighbourhoods Together (SPRINT) project aims to institutionalise area-based violence prevention interventions across government policies, programmes and practices. Resource Note 1 introduces the SPRINT project and gives an overview of the 4 different project streams.  

The Safer Places: Resilient Institutions and Neighbourhoods Together (SPRINT) project aims to institutionalise area-based violence prevention interventions across government policies, programmes and practices. Resource Note 2 outlines the reality of crime and violence in South Africa, particularly for certain vulnerable groups, and motivates why safety should be at the centre of development planning in South Africa. It further argues that a focus on safety goes beyond security responses to address the underlying risk factors to violence and crime and bolster protective factors.