This Occasional Paper was prepared for the Municipal Services Project (MSP). The paper examines and draws lessons from water campaigns’ legal strategies around the world, some of which have transformed national laws and banned private provision, while others were partial victories. The paper looks at six cases of citizen-backed referenda and litigation, offering a comparative and global perspective. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Towards a Synthesis of the Political, Social and Technical in Informal Settlement Upgrading in South Africa: A Case Study of Slovo Park Informal Settlement, Johannesburg by Kate Tissington (April 2011).

This working paper presents a number of findings from ongoing research conducted by SERI on informal settlement upgrading and access to well-located land for the poor in South African cities. Specifically, this paper provides a detailed case study on Slovo Park informal settlement in Johannesburg, and the numerous attempts made by the Slovo Park Community Development Forum (SPCDF) to bring about upgrading and development at the settlement over the past 17 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2010, SERI was approached by the Studies on Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII) to undertake a review of housing policy in South Africa since 1994. This research formed part of a broader SPII research project to compile a measurement matrix of progressive realisation of the socio-economic rights enshrined in the South African Constitution.