Voices of South Africa’s Informal Settlement Residents during the COVID-19 Crisis

Updates

Week of November 18, 2020

Week of October 29, 2020

  • Metros: While national government reduced conditional grants to some metros, they all benefited from the R11 billion increase in equitable share funding in the national adjustments budget approved in August. Consequently, we see an overall increase in spending, but not for informal settlement services. The result is that services to informal settlements are slowing down or, in some cases, even declining. Download the PDF.
  • Non-Metros: Some improvements have been noted in Witzenberg, but not much has changed in the non-metro municipalities. Access to all three services remains a challenge in many municipalities, with access to water and sanitation particularly concerning. Download the PDF.
  • Download the data for metros and non-metros.

Week of September 23, 2020

  • Metros: Up to 45% of informal settlement residents contracted the coronavirus in the first wave. The sharp increase in the number of red traffic lights in Asivikelane 11 makes us worry that the second wave of infections will start and spread in informal settlements. Download the PDF.
  • Non-Metros: The situation in non-metro municipalities remains stable with reasonable access to water, but with a few persistent crisis points in toilet cleaning and refuse removal. After the situation was initially dire, Witzenberg has provided consistent water and refuse removal. Download the PDF.
  • Download the data for metros and non-metros.

Week of August 26, 2020

  • Metros: Asivikelane has reported many persistent service delivery problems in informal settlements – some of which have yet not been addressed. Additionally, informal settlement residents are even more dependent on government services than before with more than 40% of households losing income due to COVID-19. Download the PDF.
  • Non-Metros: Msunduzi and Emalahleni have improved their water access significantly, while other municipalities have maintained their green lights. However, in many municipalities refuse removal and toilet cleaning remain at crisis levels. Download the PDF.
  • Download the data for metros and non-metros.

In This Section

About Asivikelane

The Asivikelane initiative gives voice to informal settlement residents in South Africa’s major cities who are faced with severe basic service shortages during the COVID-19 crisis. Residents answer three questions about their access to water, clean toilets and waste removal – the results will be published bi-weekly and shared with the relevant government actors.

Asivikelane TV: Episode 4

Watch episode 3 to hear from IBP South Africa’s partners on how the City of Cape Town could and should spend more on informal settlement taps and toilets in 2020/2021.

 Just Published: Asivikelane Budget Analysis 1

Large numbers of Cape Town informal settlement residents share communal taps and toilets, and these high-use facilities are not sufficiently maintained. These challenges were highlighted by COVID-19, but they preceded it and will persist and escalate unless the City responds on a much larger scale. Read the full analysis.

Asivikelane is an initiative of IBP South Africa, Planact, the SASDI Alliance, Afesis-corplan, DAG, SJC and Grassroot with funding provided by the European Union, Open Society Foundation, Luminate and Raith Foundation. By responding to three questions weekly about their access to water, clean toilets and waste removal, residents offer us a window into their daily experiences. The detailed results will be published weekly and shared with the relevant municipalities and national government departments to enable swift government response.

Questions? Email [email protected]

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