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
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].