Joe Slovo is an informal settlement in

Langa, Cape Town Langa is a township in Cape Town, South Africa. Its name in Xhosa means "sun". The township was initially built in phases before being formally opened in 1927. It was developed as a result of South Africa's 1923 Urban Areas Act (more commonly ...

. Like many other informal settlements, it was named after former housing minister and anti-

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

activist,

Joe Slovo Joe Slovo (born Yossel Mashel Slovo; 23 May 1926 – 6 January 1995) was a South African politician, and an opponent of the apartheid system. A Marxist-Leninist, he was a long-time leader and theorist in the South African Communist Pa ...

. With over 20,000 residents, Joe Slovo is one of the largest informal settlements in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. While residents have been fighting for 15 years for their right to live in Langa, the settlement recently came into prominence when it began to oppose the national pilot housing project of minister

Lindiwe Sisulu Lindiwe Nonceba Sisulu (born 10 May 1954) is a South African politician, member of parliament since 1994, and member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress currently serving as Minister of Tourism since August 2 ...

called The

N2 Gateway The N2 Gateway Housing Pilot Project is a large housebuilding project under construction in Cape Town, South Africa. It has been labelled by the national government's former Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu as "the biggest housing project ever unde ...

. Residents have opposed the government's request that they be forcibly removed to

Delft Delft () is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, and The Hague, to the northwest. Together with them, it is part of both the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolita ...

, a new township on the outskirts of the city. After a High Court ruling by controversial Judge

John Hlophe Yahya John Mandlakayise Hlophe (born 1 January 1959 in Stanger, KwaZulu-Natal) is Judge President of the Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa. Background and career Born in Stanger, Natal, he was educated at the University ...

in favor of the Government, many experts in constitutional law have claimed the ruling to be unjust and against the

South African Constitution The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, it sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the Gove ...

. Since then, residents have appealed the decision and taken it to the

South African Constitutional Court The Constitutional Court of South Africa is a supreme constitutional court established by the Constitution of South Africa, and is the apex court in the South African judicial system, with general jurisdiction. The Court was first establishe ...

. In August 2008, about 200 Joe Slovo residents travelled by train to Johannesburg, spent the night at the Methodist Church in Braamfontein, and arrived the morning early at the Constitutional Court to protest proposed evictions. They were accompanied in solidarity by the

Anti-Eviction Campaign The Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign was a non-racial popular movement made up of poor and oppressed communities in Cape Town, South Africa.

as well as residents from Symphony Way, an informal settlement that is also in conflict with the government over the N2 Gateway Housing Project. The

Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) was a Geneva-based international non-governmental organisation founded in 1994 by Scott Leckie as a foundation in the Netherlands (Stichting COHRE). Offices At its height in 2008, COHRE maint ...

and the Community Law Centre from the University of Cape Town, who joined the case as friends of the court, argued that the mass relocation would significantly impact residents' quality of life. During the case, Constitutional Court judges expressed their concern over Judge

's High Court ruling. Still, judgment has been reserved.

Reports on the N2 Gateway

2009 Report on the N2 Gateway
by the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE)
Western Cape Housing Crisis: Writings on Joe Slovo and Delft
by Martin Legassick, February 2008
Housing and Evictions at the N2 Gateway Project in Delft
by Kerry Chance, May 2008

References

{{reflist

External links

Stockpile of information on Joe SlovoJoe Slovo Task Team
Shanty towns in South Africa Squats in South Africa Suburbs of Cape Town

Reports on the N2 Gateway

See also

References

External links