Informal Settlements Highlight Housing and Jobs Crisis

The Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) has cautioned that the growing number of informal settlements in Gauteng reflects widespread unemployment and the lack of affordable housing.

This follows Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s announcement that the province will demolish informal settlements regarded as illegal. He indicated that the evictions would take place at night while residents are asleep.

Provincial data suggests that more than 400 informal settlements have been established in Gauteng over the past year.

SERI has argued that government is using the criminalisation of poor communities to justify unlawful raids. The organisation maintains that informal settlements arise from historical landlessness and the shortage of affordable, well-located housing.

Instead of demolitions, SERI has called on government to make use of its Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme (UISP). The programme, already in existence, is designed to improve living conditions in informal communities. SERI pointed out that the state has acknowledged the significant backlog in the delivery of RDP homes, which has left many settlements without basic services such as water, electricity and sanitation for decades.

The organisation believes that upgrading informal settlements through existing policy is a more constructive approach than criminalisation. It argues that evictions and raids displace residents without addressing the underlying housing crisis, whereas upgrading would offer a more humane and long-term solution.