Slovo Electricity 2018

The Slovo Park community's request for electricity has finally been granted, after a decades-long battle with The City of Johannesburg.

Johannesburg mayor, Herman Mashaba, has launched the city’s electrification of the Slovo Park informal settlement in partnership with City Power. He was accompanied by MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Service Delivery Nico de Jager and MMC for Housing Mzobanzi Ntuli.

Previous governments have rejected their requests in the past, but the current multi-party government has managed to deliver on this long outstanding service.

Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba during the pre-electrification

launch at Slovo Park.

Picture: Nhlanhla Phillips/Africa News Agency (ANA).

Sources:

Anon, (2018). Slovo Park informal settlement to be electrified. [online] Available at: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-02-18-slovo-park-informal-settlement-to-be-electrified/ [Accessed 23 Apr. 2018].

Mashaba, S. (2018). Power set to be switched on in Slovo Park | The Star. [online] Iol.co.za. Available at: https://www.iol.co.za/the-star/news/power-set-to-be-switched-on-in-slovo-park-13379376 [Accessed 23 Apr. 2018].

RIP: A memorial to Mohau Zulu Melani

Statement from the SPCDF:

It with great sadness that we share the passing of the SPCDF Chairman Mohau Zulu Melani.

Mohau was a leader who had dedicated his whole life to serve communities and never had time for himself and the family. He was hungry to see change for his own community ready to learn and grow open and welcoming everyone who is willing to help.

He will be missed by all.

SPCDF: Lerato Marole -Deputy Chairman. Naledi Ntoahae, Edward Phoswa, Suzan Mkhwanazi, Patricia Motaung,Dan Moalahi, Samuel Motaung, Frank Mapara and Thembile Majoe.

Missing: Chairman Mohau Melani, but includes the Slovo Park Youth Forum, Business Forum, Pastors Forum, Man's forum and block committee with a large number.

Slovo Playground + Build 2017

Playground Plus+ 2017

With the first phase of the project already completed. Funded by PPC, 1to1 has collaborated with Steve Hoffe of Build a Future to support the Slovo Park Youth Forum to build the second phase of the Playground+ in Slovo Park.



Phase two includes the further construction of play equipment, seating structure and micro-enterprise support elements where community members can meet, sit and relax and manage their local business interests.





The structure was designed and built by the Slovo Park Youth Forum  after attending various training and design sessions with Build a Future, with PPC contributing cement financial support towards other project materials.

Slovo UISP Court Ruling 2016

After almost two decades of failed negotiations the City of Johannesburg has been ordered to spend about R370 million on formal housing for ten thousand people at the Slovo Park informal settlement including those who have not previously qualified for RDP.

Government inactivity resulted in the Slovo Park community partnering up with a few organizations to get assistance in upgrading various services in the community, while continuously engaging the ANC ward councillor to pressurise elected politicians and government officials to implement an upgrading project. This eventually led to the community launching a High Court application in 2014 as a last resort, after exhausting all possible avenues for receiving government assistance.

Initially the City was resistant and focused their case on discrediting the legitimacy of the communities legal representatives, and a year later they revealed their plan to relocate the Slovo Park community to a still-to-be constructed housing development at a place called “Unaville” some 11 km from Slovo Park.

While this judgement has been a victory for the community of Slovo Park, the upgrading process may take a few years to begin. Before it can begin the  it is up to the provincial government to respond to the City’s application and make the housing subsidy available.

Watch: Slovo Park residents elated at court order for upgrades

Sources:

Cox, A. (2018). Houses for 10 000 Slovo Park settlers | IOL News. [online] Iol.co.za. Available at: https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/houses-for-10-000-slovo-park-settlers-2006113 [Accessed 23 Apr. 2018].

Royston, N. (2018). Upgrading informal settlements: The importance of the Slovo Park judgment | Daily Maverick. [online] Daily Maverick. Available at: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-04-11-upgrading-informal-settlements-the-importance-of-the-slovo-park-judgment/#.Wt2uJ617G34 [Accessed 23 Apr. 2018].

Green Week 2015, University of Johannesburg, Group 17

For the 2015 Green week project, we were tasked to work in a multi- disciplinary team to solve a community-based problem for a community partner. Working in collaboration with Enactus (an entrepreneurial division within UJ), we were introduced to a group of entrepreneurial co-operatives As a team, we were required to apply a range of design methods, processes and techniques competently to solve a problem, documenting our development on a video and printed presentation.

As a team we collaborated with members of “The Community Youth mission Club”, a newly formed nonprofit organisation working to empower the youth living in Slovo park township through community youth projects. As an organisation, they intend to implement programmes that are designed to develop and empower the youth within Slovo Park and develop a sense of belonging. These projects would also function as a proactive mechanism to reduce high levels of teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, domestic violence, poverty and lack of education in the Slovo Park community.

Problem identification
During the initial meeting stage, we identified a variety of existing problems. We discovered that, due to lack of funding and knowledge, the organisation had failed to create a stable platform upon which to promote their initiatives. With no real foundation to work from, they struggled to gain support from the community. They did not have their own working space and operated from a small shelter which had been vandalised and was practically unusable. With little entrepreneurial skills, the threat of vandalisation and very little start-up capital, we as designers were faced with the challenging task of creating an affordable platform that the co-operatives could use to promote their initiative.

Our Solution
Having identified the problems, we decided to create a means of promotion that would be affordable and effective. With this, we focused on their working space. Due to political tension in the community, the existing shelter was vandalised. With the threat of further damage ever-present, we decided to integrate a portable, branded Gazebo unit as part of their promotional platform.

 This solution, aimed at spreading awareness, would be well suited to the organisation with its ease of use, mobility, brand exposure and affordability. This temporary structure also solves the issue of theft and vandalisation (they can move it around and keep the foldable structure in a safe place). 

 Scaled Mock-up 

 

We then decided to establish a unique brand identity for them through a new logo design, business card, T-shirt and poster. This would allow them to visually define their brand and identify themselves easily with the Slovo Park community.  

Chosen Logo

 

  T-shirt Design

 

Development Video

Green Week 2015, University of Johannesburg and Slovo Park

The purpose of the unit was for us (students) to work in a multi-disciplinary team, applying detailed knowledge of our various disciplines to innovatively solve an economic, environmental or social community-based problem for a community partner.

We met with our co-operatives from Slovo Park Youth Forum which is known as Community Youth Mission Club to talk about the social and environmental issues within the community they operate. We then all drove to Slovo Park and walked around for few hours to observe the changes they have done in the community. Our co-operatives were very kind and friendly to us, they bought us soft drinks to cool down after walking.

Mahlomola, Andrew and Tsogolo. (Youth Forum members)

The issues they are facing include lack of purpose amongst the youth, lack of opportunities
for the youth to develop skills, substance abuse, teen pregnancy & lack of motivation. The group would like to expose the youth to more opportunities such as internships and 
apprenticeships so they can develop their skills.

We suggested the following solutions as a group:

Creating an identity for the group so that they will be easily recognized within Slovo Park.

Create a ‘Notice Wall’ inside the community hall; the wall will be painted with black chalkboard paint so that notices can be written regarding the CYMC and opportunities relating to the youth.

A Facebook Page can be set up to keep the Slovo Park youth informed of opportunities as well as what the CYMC provides, this can be in digital form as posts or members can take photos of the ‘Notice Wall’ and post it on the facebook wall. This will keep information circulating and make the Community Youth Mission Club more interactive.

Please click link below to watch the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS63ASxRcRA

Mandela Day 2014

Slovo Park Community Development Forum and 1to1 - Agency of Engagement would like to thank all those who supported the Slovo Park residents on the Mandela Day activities! 

Mica Hardware Lenasia, Romans Pizza Southgate, Daniel Van Der Merwe & PPC Cement as well as the student volunteers from AEISEC, and the University of Johannesburg.

Slovo Playground Build 2014

The Slovo Playground Build project seeks to not only expose and up skill students of spatial disciplines, but to also provide the community of Slovo Park with a playground.





Playground Plus +

As in most informal settlements, a safe outdoor space for children to play in was lacking in Slovo Park. The intention of Playground Plus+ is for the playground is used beyond just the function of making a play space for children, but can assist in a daily and crucial community
function such as: wash space, public lighting, gathering point, clinic or transport drop off e.t.c

Slovo Park 2014 - Playground +

In 2014 students from the University of Johannesburg returned to Slovo Park alongside the SPCDF to address the 2013 Playground.