Slovo Park: A decade after Melani judgment, residents still wait for basic services

Promises made, infrastructure lacking

Slovo Park, an informal settlement south of Johannesburg between Eldorado Park and Lenasia, remains a vivid example of unkept promises and persistent neglect. Ten years after the Melani judgment when the South Gauteng High Court ordered the City of Johannesburg to apply for funding under the Upgrading of Informal Settlement Programme (UISP) many residents say little has changed.

Residents note that the settlement was partially electrified in 2018 and that the most recent visible infrastructure project was the installation of smart street poles, introduced in March this year. At the launch on 7 March, the MMC for Transport, Kenny Kunene, said:

“Bringing the internet to you and access to the internet is bringing dignity to you because without the internet, you have no access to the outside world. Our children have no connection to learning material.”

But more than a month after the launch, visitors found cables still exposed and the Wi‑Fi not connected, highlighting the gap between public announcements and on-the-ground delivery.

Daily life shaped by unreliable services

Basic services in Slovo Park remain unreliable. Residents still collect water with buckets at taps spread through the township, and taps are often dry. Proper sanitation is largely absent: most stands use pit latrines shared by many people, and heavy rains frequently cause sewage to spill onto dirt roads.

Those conditions shape daily life, particularly for women and children. Susan Mkhwanazi, 47, described the difficulty of fetching water late at night and the risks that poses for single mothers caring for children. She said:

“It is a challenge even to go out at night and fetch water… It is because most of us as women, we are single mothers. We are staying with our kids alone.”

For younger residents the contrast with other opportunities is stark. Tshepang Lesie, 30, who returned to Slovo Park after studying in the Free State, said he struggles to adjust to life in the settlement and to find work. He described the disappointment he and others feel after the court victory:

“You feel hopeless, because the court judgment and the promises are things that are supposed to bring hope to us and restore our dignity, but we are nowhere there.”

Community organisations and activists voice frustration

Long‑term residents and community organisers say the optimism that followed the Melani judgment has faded. Dan Moalahi, part of the Slovo Park Community Development Forum and a resident for about 30 years, recalled the initial joy after the court ruling and the disillusion that followed as projects stalled and officials rotated through meetings without delivering results.

Thato Masiangoako, a researcher at the Socio‑Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI), which litigated on the community’s behalf, said the hope was that Slovo Park would be a pilot for UISP upgrades. She said fundamental improvements remain outstanding, particularly urgent water and sanitation work, and that timelines for infrastructure continue to be pushed out. She added that the City has not secured additional land parcels needed for dedensification.

Officials respond; work described as still in progress

Nthatisi Modingoane, spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg, was not available to comment and referred questions to Human Settlements.

The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements highlighted a number of interventions it said had been delivered over the past decade: electrification of 1,076 stands; installation of VIP toilets and 18 communal taps; grading and re‑graveling of access roads; refurbishment of a community hall; and the recent installation of smart masts. The department said further water infrastructure development was at the procurement stage but did not provide timelines for completion.

Waiting for follow‑through

Established in the early 1990s, Slovo Park has been the subject of repeated plans, assurances and political attention. Yet residents who have campaigned for decades say they continue to confront the same shortages of water, sanitation, land and reliable services that limit daily life and opportunities.

For many in Slovo Park the difference between official promises and the lived reality remains acute: announcements of projects are followed by long waits, partial installations and uncertainty over when or if comprehensive upgrades will arrive.