On 6 March 2020, Isandla Institute attended the Human Settlements Indaba, hosted by Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. Under the theme “Strengthening strategic partnerships to transform human settlements for spatial justice and social cohesion”, the Indaba brought together representatives from various sectors of society including government, mining, engineering, youth development, civil society, banking and finance, research institutions and academia. The Minister called for enhanced relationships between the spheres of government and other stakeholders.

The Indaba culminated in a signed declaration by select representatives. The declaration made a number of commitments to support the achievement of the 2019-2024 MTEF targets. Isandla Institute acknowledges the willingness of the Department to work in partnership with other government departments and other sectors of society, and welcomes this as a response to some of the bottlenecks in the sector and other developmental challenges.

However, we note with concern the way that this declaration emerged and was subsequently ‘adopted’ without opportunities for review and feedback. In her speech, the Minister suggested that the declaration was the culmination of a consultation process with stakeholders. While we are unaware of what that consultative process entailed and how it was facilitated, we believe that it would have been proper for the Department to share the draft declaration for input and refinement prior to its adoption. After all, it is only when stakeholders jointly craft such a declaration that we can truly speak of a social compact.

Furthermore, some of the signatories to the declaration do not necessarily hold any formal representative role on behalf of a particular sector; the civil society sector is a case in point. This then creates a false impression of a widely accepted consensus, with the Department assuming that all stakeholders can be held to account for its success or failing. There is a further risk that the declaration of partnership may (inadvertently) be used to absolve the National Department of its mandate, its commitments and its obligations to the people of South Africa.

Had Isandla Institute been offered an opportunity to engage on the draft declaration, we would have noted that the declaration does not give adequate emphasis to the role of communities as co-producers of human settlements. Instead, the declaration seems to imply that external actors will ‘create’ an active citizenry and sustainable communities.

We would also have observed that the commitment to security of tenure is about more than the issuing of title deeds. Informal settlement residents need alternative modes of tenure security, which receives little attention in the declaration. This oversight does not inspire confidence that incremental informal settlement upgrading has been prioritised.

Furthermore, we would have suggested that more attention is given to collaboration and partnership modalities with civil society organisations, with a commitment to address bureaucratic, fiscal and regulatory blockages that stand in the way of such partnerships.

As a critical actor in the human settlements sector, Isandla Institute is committed to working with government departments and other sectors of society towards just and sustainable urban habitats. We will continue to seek out partnerships and hold government accountable for its commitments, mandates and actions.

You can download the declaration below.

This graphic novel appeals to our imagination about how an incrementally developing neighbourhood could look like. It is a visual depiction and interpretation of in-situ upgrading policy as it unfolds in practice over time. NGOs, municipal officials and community development practitioners can creatively use this resource in community engagements and to advocate for community needs and aspirations in an upgrading project. This product was jointly developed by Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), Development Action Group (DAG), Habitat for Humanity South Africa, Isandla Institute, People’s Environmental Planning (PEP), Ubuhle Bakha Ubuhle (UBU) and Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU).

Available in English/Afrikaans and English/isiXhosa

This graphic poster appeals to our imagination about how an incrementally developing neighbourhood could look like. It is a visual depiction and interpretation of in-situ upgrading policy as it unfolds in practice over time. NGOs, municipal officials and community development practitioners can creatively use this resource in community engagements and to advocate for community needs and aspirations in an upgrading project. This product was jointly developed by Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), Development Action Group (DAG), Habitat for Humanity South Africa, Isandla Institute, People’s Environmental Planning (PEP), Ubuhle Bakha Ubuhle (UBU) and Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU). It is based on a submission developed to inform the post-Breaking New Ground (BNG) human settlements policy and legislative environment.

Available in English/Afrikaans and English/isiXhosa. There is also an animation explaining the arguments in Afrikaans, isiXhosa and English, and a comic book in English/Afrikaans and English/isiXhosa

This graphic novel appeals to our imagination about how an incrementally developing neighbourhood could look like. It is a visual depiction and interpretation of in-situ upgrading policy as it unfolds in practice over time. NGOs, municipal officials and community development practitioners can creatively use this resource in community engagements and to advocate for community needs and aspirations in an upgrading project. This product was jointly developed by Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), Development Action Group (DAG), Habitat for Humanity South Africa, Isandla Institute, People’s Environmental Planning (PEP), Ubuhle Bakha Ubuhle (UBU) and Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU). It is based on a submission developed to inform the post-Breaking New Ground (BNG) human settlements policy and legislative environment.

Available in English/Afrikaans and English/isiXhosa. There is also an animation explaining the arguments in Afrikaans, isiXhosa and English, and a poster in English/Afrikaans and English/isiXhosa

Our latest resource is for NGOs who support communities in informal settlement upgrading projects. For communities
and local government to work together meaningfully, they need equal access to accurate information about the stakeholders involved in upgrading, funding arrangements, and the plans and processes that influence informal settlement upgrading at both a citywide and local project level.

This booklet intends to support NGOs and the communities they work with to understand the institutions involved in upgrading projects and better navigate related governance processes.

Together with Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), Development Action Group (DAG), Habitat for Humanity South Africa, People’s Environmental Planning (PEP), Ubuhle Bakha Ubuhle (UBU) and Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU), Isandla Institute has developed a policy submission to inform the human settlements policy and legislative review currently being undertaken by the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation.

We believe informal settlement upgrading is key to developing inclusive, liveable and sustainable neighbourhoods and addressing urban poverty and inequality in South Africa. The submission draws on the everyday practice of the contributing organisations, and makes recommendations regarding the following:

1. Informal settlement upgrading as a key thrust of human settlements development
2. Community participation
3. Local government as an ‘enabled enabler’
4. Cross-sectoral learning
5. Focus on outcomes
6. Urban land reform
7. Funding and finance
8. Investment in public space
9. Multi-stakeholder partnership
10. Security of tenure
11. Incremental housing and the right to build
12. Monitoring & evaluation and the role of data to drive good practice

 You can download the full submission below:

This submission was developed to inform the post-Breaking New Ground (BNG) human settlements policy and legislative environment. It has been prepared by the Cape Town NGO Collaborative Initiative, a collective of urban sector organisations with a wide range of expertise and experience in progressive practice around participatory and incremental informal settlement upgrading, and human settlements development more broadly, in South Africa. These organisations are: Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), Development Action Group (DAG), Habitat for Humanity South Africa, Isandla Institute, People’s Environmental Planning (PEP), Ubuhle Bakha Ubuhle (UBU) and Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU). There is an animation explaining the arguments in Afrikaans, isiXhosa and English, as well as a comic book in English/Afrikaans and English/isiXhosa and a poster in English/Afrikaans and English/isiXhosa produced from the animation.

This policy brief was developed in the context of the Informal Settlements Data Project, a partnership project between the Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU), the Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC) and Isandla Institute, with support from Comic Relief. It draws together lessons emerging from the project, and the broader practice of the partner organisations. 

This booklet intends to support NGOs and the communities they work with to understand the institutions involved in upgrading projects and better navigate related governance processes. It is adapted from an institutional mapping exercise of the informal settlement upgrading sub-sector of human settlements development.

Isandla Institute together with Community Organization Resource Centre (CORC) and Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU) jointly implemented a short-term project, referred to as the Informal Settlements Data Project (ISDP). The focus of the project was two-fold: 1) to enhance the collection, use and management of community data for upgrading; and, 2) to promote a progressive, incremental and co-production approach to informal settlement upgrading in policy and practice.