Sunday, 5 April 2026 marked ten years since the Johannesburg High Court handed down a landmark judgment in Melani and the Further Residents of Slovo Park Informal Settlement v City of Johannesburg and Others affirming that the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme (UISP) is binding on the City of Johannesburg and ordered it to apply for funding under the UISP to upgrade the Slovo Park informal settlement in situ. The UISP is a national housing programme implemented by municipalities to facilitate informal settlement upgrading through the introduction of permanent basic services infrastructure, supporting community empowerment, and ensuring security of tenure.
A decade later, the promise of the Melani judgment remains largely unfulfilled. Slovo Park’s experience of delayed upgrading is not unique in the informal settlement context, and few informal settlements have a court order compelling upgrading.
Slovo Park, an informal settlement in the south of Johannesburg, was established in 1991 and is home to more than 10,000 people across approximately 3,700 households. Since 1995, residents have been promised formal housing by officials at all levels of government, including then Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa, former MEC for Housing Nomvula Mokonyane, and former Johannesburg Mayor Amos Masondo. Budgets were allocated, plans were drafted, and environmental impact assessments were undertaken to declare Slovo Park a township—yet none of these efforts resulted in meaningful change.
After two decades of broken promises, the community turned to the courts in 2014. Led by the Slovo Park Community Development Forum (SPCDF) and represented by the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI), residents challenged the City’s failure to apply for funding as required under the National Housing Code.
During the litigation, the City proposed evicting residents and relocating them to a yet-to-be-constructed housing development known as “Unaville”. Finding in favour of the residents, the Court found that the City’s decision “to completely ignore” the UISP in favour of its own plan to evict and relocate the community was in breach of section 26(2) of the Constitution and the Housing Act 107 of 1997. The Court emphasised that the UISP applies to all informal settlements and that relocation should be a measure of last resort.
In 2016, the SPCDF initiated the establishment of a multi-stakeholder task team to engage the City and the provincial government on implementation. Through this platform, the community has secured some progress, including in situ electrification in 2018 and the installation of high-mast lighting between 2023 and 2026 to improve safety and reduce crime. While these interventions have brought some relief, they represent only a fraction of the comprehensive upgrade envisioned by the UISP.
For decades, residents have continued to live without adequate access to essential services such as water, sanitation, and proper roads. Frustration over the slow pace of progress came to a head in 2023—pushing the community to return to protest action, during which 16-year-old Karabo Chaka was shot and killed by police. Despite these challenges, Slovo Park remains resolute in its pursuit of dignity, justice, and development—especially for its most vulnerable residents, including people living with disabilities, women, the elderly, and the youth.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Melani judgment, the SPCDF and partners are dedicating the month of April to reflect on this milestone and Slovo Park’s ongoing struggle. A key initiative is the launch of a digital archive documenting the history of the settlement and the continued fight for its upgrading. The archive will also serve as a public resource for communities, researchers, journalists, and organisers pursuing informal settlement upgrading across South Africa.
The digital archive will officially be launched on 15 April 2026 at a commemorative media briefing. The event will reflect on progress since the judgment and lessons that other informal settlements can draw from Slovo Park’s experience.
The City of Johannesburg and the Gauteng Provincial Government must urgently comply with the Melani judgment, fully implement the UISP, and deliver the dignified living conditions that Slovo Park residents have been denied for decades.
We invite the public to join us in marking this moment. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn, and visit our website for updates.
Contact details:
- Lerato Marole, SPCDF Chairperson: 083 967 4922.
- Edward Molopi, SERI senior communications and advocacy officer: edward[at]seri-sa.org / 082 590 9638.
- Download the press statement here.