More than ten years after a landmark court ruling intended to force upgrades to their living conditions, residents of the Slovo Park informal settlement south of Johannesburg say they are still waiting for meaningful change.
The settlement, now over 30 years old, remains without reliable access to water, sanitation, and proper roads—despite a 2015 judgment by the KwaZulu-Natal High Court ordering the City of Johannesburg to develop the area rather than relocate its long-term residents.
According to a community leader who spoke on behalf of residents, the community’s expectation was for proper infrastructure, including flushing toilets and drinking water as a first priority. While electricity has since been installed—following what the leader described as “a lot of fights” along the way—the living conditions remain inhumane.
“The humanity part has to be acknowledged in the sense that you dignify people with proper sanitation and proper drinking water,” the community leader said. “We’ve been back and forth with the first application as per the judgment, which was flawed by the city. We then assisted them to reformulate the document, but along the way policy changes and shifts.”
The leader criticized the pace of delivery, saying: “We can’t be 10 years now with a judgment that should have been implemented within the first three years. The only thing we will be celebrating would be death of people that died without knowing what is proper drinking water, what is sanitation.”
The Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements in the City of Johannesburg has acknowledged several delays that have prevented the community from accessing water and sanitation. The MMC cited issues with involved entities, including Joburg Water, which is responsible for supplying the area. A promise was made that by next year, residents would see visibility in terms of contractors and the work that needs to be done.
However, residents remain deeply skeptical. Many say they have heard such promises before, particularly from politicians who would arrive on the ground and tell them they would see water coming from their taps by November—promises that have repeatedly not been fulfilled.
Currently, residents rely on communal taps that sometimes run dry. During rainy weather, the poor state of roads becomes a serious challenge, hindering access for ambulances and emergency services.
Beyond water and sanitation, residents highlighted the lack of nearby schools, forcing children to travel to neighboring areas such as Eldorado Park and Freedom Park. The settlement also has no healthcare facilities of its own.
With a local government election approaching, one resident told reporters she sees no point in casting her vote, having heard empty promises through multiple election cycles. She suggested that residents should abstain from voting entirely, as they do not believe the process has brought any visible difference on service delivery issues.
The city’s MMC has promised action, but after a decade of waiting, residents say they have heard it all before.