| Question | Answer | Description | Datasource and Evidence | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is there a clear statement of the assessment and categorisation of informal settlements? | Strong Evidence | The HDA has developed guidelines to assess informal settlements. The following categories are used: A: Full upgrade - consisting of full services, top-structures and formal tenure B1: Interim basic services - where/full upgradingis feasible but not imminent B2: Emergency basic services - Where full upgrading is not viable or appropriate C: Relocations - Where there are urgent health or safety threats |
IDP/BEPP 2019/2020 review | Categories: in-situ upgrading (62%), relocation (23%) and township extension (15%) |
| # of people living in informal settlements | Strong Evidence | By multiplying the number of households with the city's average household size according to census 2011 data, we get a sense of how many people live in informal settlements |
BEPP 2019/2020 review; Community Survey 2016; Census 2011 | 95 816 |
| Annual IS growth rate | Partial Evidence | The growth rate of informal settlements is calculated by comparing census 2001 and 2011 data. |
HDA Informal Settlement Status Report 2013 | -6% |
| How many houses are delivered per annum? | Partial Evidence | Knowing the annual housing delivery rate will provide evidence of whether the city government can meet the needs of informal settlements through the conventional housing programme. |
Progress Report on the Upgrading Of Informal Settlements Programme 2017 | 4811 units per annum. Outdated figure, current performance results absent from strategic documents. |
| Is there a clear indication of the extent of housing demand/ backlog? | Partial Evidence | It is important to know if the city government is prioritising housing as a response to informal settlements. |
Community Survey 2016 | 31 149 housing units. Outdated figure, expected to be updated by 2021. Does not consider the increased rate of in-migration and informal settlement proliferation. |
| Has a systematic assessment and categorisation of informal settlements been carried out? | Strong Evidence | HDA guidelines recommend that city governments conduct a rapid assessment and categorisation of informal settlements. |
IDP/ BEPP 2019/2020 review | Informal Settlements Upgrading Strategy (ISUS) / Informal Settlements Resettlement Plan (ISRP) |
| Is the essence of the upgrading strategy upfront apparent? | Strong Evidence | Every strategy should be clearly state, without ambiguity and uncertainty, what the city's strategy of upgrading informal settlements is. In this way, citizens can hold their governments to account. |
IDP/ BEPP 2019/2020 review | The strategy indicates that incremental upgrading, sites and service and prevention of new settlements is preferred. Focus has also been placed on developing social and economic infrastructure to move away from a housing-only approach towards the more holistic development of human settlements including the provision of social and economic infrastructure and on enhancing the location of new mixed development housing projects to undo and restructure the former unbalanced spatial settlement patterns. These objectives are tied together by a broader plan under the BEPP where the highlighted sites are displayed in the broader context of the spatial make of the city. |
| # HH living in informal settlements | Strong Evidence | The number of households residing in informal settlements across the entire city. |
BEPP 2019/2020 review | 29 035 |
| # of IS (smallest unit defined) | Strong Evidence | Informal settlements are differently defined by cities, and are sometimes called settlements, pockets, or clusters. The number presented here is the smallest measurable unit. |
IDP 2019/2020 review | 34 |
| Has a department been assigned to take responsibility for the strategy? | Strong Evidence | A leading department needs to take responsibility for the strategy. |
IDP/ BEPP 2019/2020 review | Department of Human Settlements |
| % of Provincial total | Strong Evidence | This figure indicates that 41% of informal settlements in the Eastern Cape Province is located in East London. |
Progress Report on the Upgrading Of Informal Settlements Programme 2017 | 23% |
| % of municipal population | Strong Evidence | This figure represents the proportion of the city's population living in informal settlements. In other words, one in ten people live in an informal settlement. |
Census 2011 | 11% |
| Does the council have an official informal settlements upgrading strategy? | Strong Evidence | Every city should have an informal settlement upgrading strategy articulated in their core municipal doucmentation. |
IDP/ BEPP 2019/2020 review | Informal Settlements Upgrading Strategy (ISUS) (2012) |
| Is the city council's adopted strategy an appropriate response to the scale of informality? | Strong Evidence | This indicator is a qualitative assessment by Isandla Institute when taking into account the nature of the upgrading strategy. |
Qualitative assessment | The strategy responds to the scale of informality. Detail has improved from previous years. Details such as expenditure and settlements upgraded are stated as well as displayed visually on maps. |
| Timeframe to eradicate backlog conventionally (years) | Partial Evidence | This indicator seeks to understand if the city government can realistically deliver each informal settlement household a house in a reasonable (<15 years) time period |
Progress Report on the Upgrading Of Informal Settlements Programme 2017 | 7 |
| Is there a clear breakdown of budgets reserved for informal settlement upgrading in the city's capital budget? | Strong Evidence | City governments should clearly indicate the proportion of capital budgets, like the Urban Settlements Development Grant, is reserved for informal settlement upgrading. |
MTREF/BEPP 2019/2020 review | Yes budgets indicate expenditure on informal settlement upgrading. |
| Is the rapid assessment and categorisation an appropriate response to the nature and extent of informality? | Strong Evidence | Determining the appropriateness of the city government's assessment and categorisation is a qualitative appraisal by Isandla Institute |
IDP/BEPP 2019/2020 review | The city government has an appropriate strategy |
| What percentage of municipal capital budget is reserved for upgrading informal settlements? | Strong Evidence | City governments should clearly indicate the proportion of capital budgets, like the Urban Settlements Development Grant, is reserved for informal settlement upgrading. |
MTREF 2019/20 | R161 Million (20%) |
| Does the budget align with the municipal targets for upgrading informal settlements? | Strong Evidence | There should be a clear alignment between the strategy and the budgets allocated to implement that strategy. |
MTREF/BEPP 2019/20 Review | Projects to exceed MTSF UISP target by 2019. |