Profiles of Informal Settlements within the Johannesburg Metropole

THIS VOLUME DOCUMENTS the informal settlements in and around Johannesburg. It begins with short statements from the Minister of Housing and the Head of Housing for the city of Johannesburg, together with an introduction to the information that follows. As the authors argue, those living in informal settlements, and the space they occupy, are often rendered invisible, ignored in formal city maps and formal processes. This publication and the research behind it seek to address this invisibility. The South African Homeless People’s Federation has used a process of self-enumeration and self-surveying for some years. This volume has taken this methodology beyond the settlements in which the Federation is active to profile all of those that could be identified within the Johannesburg region. The information collection process is viewed as a first step to the more active mobilization of the residents and the city to address needs in these areas.
The survey covers nine regions and 131 settlements. It is believed that it includes about 97 per cent of all informal settlements, omitting only those that are very small and/or transitory. The report is divided by region within the metropolis, and each region is introduced with a summary of characteristics such as land use, access to employment and state services. Each settlement is briefly described, and how, why and when it was established. The information provided for each settlement includes numbers living in the area, land ownership, prospects for tenure, access to basic infrastructure and services such as water, sanitation, health, education, play facilities, cost of transport to the city centre and the proximity of such transport. The picture that emerges is one of inadequate services and extreme isolation. For many of these residents, daily transport to the city would cost R20 (UK£ 2) or more, making the search for employment impossible. Low pay means that the most many can expect to earn is R2,000 a month (UK£ 182) or less. Sanitation consists mainly of pit latrines with no access to sewerage systems. Health services are often a considerable distance away, often 15 kilometres or more. Tenure is unresolved, hence these residents are vulnerable to eviction and resettlement.