The City of Johannesburg has adopted a new policy aimed at improving planning and basic services in informal settlements across the city.
Johannesburg Council approved the City’s Informal Settlement Policy on 30 September. The policy provides a framework for the development and upgrading of informal settlements, with a focus on basic services, community participation and better integration with surrounding townships.
Under the policy, residents in informal settlements will be profiled and enumerated, with each household assigned a number identifying where it lives. The City says the process is intended to improve its understanding of the communities and prevent situations where individuals occupy or claim multiple structures in different settlements.
Settlement information will also be used to develop layout plans identifying areas for community facilities, businesses, access routes, environmental sensitivities and future services. The policy also provides for social compacts between the City and communities. These agreements are intended to set out the responsibilities and expectations of both residents and the municipality.
The City says the policy will support a more coordinated approach to providing basic services and upgrading informal settlements. Johannesburg’s existing planning documents show the scale of the challenge. The City’s 2025/26 Integrated Development Plan states that 201 informal settlements were receiving basic refuse-removal services, while previous City documentation has identified hundreds of informal settlements across the metro.
The new policy also addresses tenure security. The City says it will use the Johannesburg Land Use Scheme, revised in 2024, to enable Transitional Residential Settlement Areas and temporary permits where applicable. According to the policy, an informal settlement will be regarded as recognised or acknowledged once it has been profiled or enumerated and the necessary information about the settlement has been recorded.
The move comes as residents across Johannesburg’s informal settlements continue to raise concerns about access to water, sanitation, electricity, roads, waste removal and housing. For communities, the key question will be whether the new profiling system translates into faster access to basic services and concrete upgrading plans. The City says the policy is intended to provide a more coordinated approach to addressing these challenges and improving living conditions in informal settlements.
