Irene Grootboom (c. 1969 – 2008) was a South African housing rights

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

best known for her

victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...

before the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. The Court found that the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

had not met its obligation to provide adequate alternative housing for the residents of

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Wallacedene Wallacedene is an informal housing settlement on the eastern outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. The settlement was established during the 1980s when the relaxation of pass laws allowed rural populations to more readily migrate to urban centres ...

informal settlement Informal housing or informal settlement can include any form of housing, shelter, or settlement (or lack thereof) which is illegal, falls outside of government control or regulation, or is not afforded protection by the state. As such, the inform ...

. The ruling provided clear legal support for housing-rights campaigns in South Africa and elsewhere. At the time of her death in August

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, however, Grootboom was still living in a shack. The SJC grassroots movement in

Khayelitsha Khayelitsha () is a township in Western Cape, South Africa, on the Cape Flats in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality. The name is Xhosa for ''New Home''. It is reputed to be the largest

established the Irene Grootboom Memorial Lecture Series in her honour.

Notes

References

* '' Government of the Republic of South Africa and Others v Grootboom and Others'' 2001 (1) SA 46 (CC).

External links

The 'Grootboom' community, November 2000
2001. 4 min. film. Focuses on a lawsuit by Irene Grootboom, includes interviews with

residents.
"A pity Grootboom will not be there to ask about unfulfilled promises"
1969 births 2008 deaths South African activists South African women activists People from Cape Town Shack dwellers Squatters Squatter leaders Housing in South Africa Housing rights activists {{SouthAfrica-activist-stub