Homes destroyed in Makhaza by law enforcement
Backyarders from Makhaza who occupied land near Empolweni were evicted and their houses demolished by law enforcement.
Informal settlement
Community Careworkers continue to work without personal protective equipment (photo essay)
The Michael Mapongwana Community Health Clinic operates in the Khayelitsha Health District of Cape Town’s Metro Region. During the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, community careworkers […]
Kenya’s slums are a haven for viruses: here’s what we know
As the new coronavirus spreads in African countries, a big source of concern is how it will spread and affect those that live in congested […]
Covid-19 and lockdown in South Africa (video)
With the lockdown into its eighth day in South Africa, Elitsha reporters spoke to different groups of marginalised workers about what the lockdown means to them and how the coronavirus has changed their working conditions.
Residents without water plead for re-connection
A group of residents and activists picketed outside Khayelitsha Training Centre on Tuesday demanding that the City of Cape Town re-connects their water so that they maintain best hygiene practice as it is one of the means to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
South Africa’s spaza shops: how regulatory avoidance harms informal workers
Small informal retailers are a ubiquitous feature of any developing country’s urban landscape. Known as spaza shops in South Africa, they are an important, even […]
Backyarders in Cape Town call for transparency in housing allocation
Organisations representing backyarders in Cape Town say that government’s housing database has to be laid bare to ensure the most deserving people receive subsidised houses.
Women in informal settlements complain of dirty and unsafe toilets
The Water Services Act 108 of 1997 provides for the right to a basic water supply and sanitation service but the lived experiences of women in informal settlements of Khayelitsha tell how just using the toilet can be dangerous.
Mining activities continue to dispossess black families in South Africa
Dispossession in South Africa is associated with the period of colonialism and apartheid. As a result, not much consideration is given to how previously marginalised […]
Evicted backyarders demand accommodation from the City
Not finding anyone to receive their memorandum at the Civic Centre and at Parliament, the protestors vowed to return in the next few days.
Backyarders still determined to fight for housing
It has been six days since the occupiers of Arcadia Place were evicted and living on the streets outside the building in Observatory.
MTN gets free advertising on satellite dishes in informal settlements
Data in South Africa is the most expensive in the world and cellphone companies are making super-profits from it, but MTN still uses the plight of informal settlement residents to get free advertising.
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