Here are links to organisations where you can find out more about housing rights. The link at the end of the list takes you to other useful organisations dealing with human rights.
Abahlali baseMjondolo or Shack Dwellers Movement – abahlali.org
The ABM has grown into a powerful organisation that fights for the rights of shack dwellers in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. It has fought several evictions. ABM believes that land for the people (its social value) is more important than land as a commercial product.
Centre for Applied Legal Studies – www.wits.ac.za/law/cals
CALS helped with the legal aspects of the story Living On The Edge. They say that a main aim is to ‘use the law to implement and protect the human rights of individuals.’ They have produced this short video on challenging evictions: Click here
The Community Law Centre – www.communitylawcentre.org.za
This Centre is located at the University of the Western Cape and ‘works to realise the democratic values and human rights enshrined in South Africa’s Constitution …. our constitutional order must promote good governance, socio-economic development and the protection of the rights of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.’
The Legal Resources Centre – www.lrc.org.za
The organisation has offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Grahamstown. They use the law ‘as an instrument of justice and provide legal services for the vulnerable and marginalised, including the poor, homeless, and landless people.’
Lawyers for Human Rights – www.lhr.org.za/programme
This organisation ‘provides free legal services to vulnerable, marginalised and indigent individuals and communities, both non-national and South African, who are victims of unlawful infringements of their constitutional rights.’ It has set up a special Land and Housing Unit.
The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of SA (SERI) – www.seri-sa.org
Among other things, SERI goes to court in the public interest, as in the Schubart Park case above. Housing and evictions and access to social services are areas of interest.
The Department of Human Settlements – www.dhs.gov.za
This government site has information on government policy, land, settlements and the law, housing programmes, getting help and contacts to provincial departments.
Click here and link to other human rights organisations
