Slum Dwellers International (SDI)

Cape Town's informal settlement landscape—shaped by rapid urban migration, limited municipal housing delivery, and sprawling township geography—creates particular pressures on residents fighting for recognition and resources. Slum Dwellers International operates in this context, working alongside organised community groups who map their own neighbourhoods, document conditions, and lead their own solutions rather than wait for top-down intervention. The organisation's presence in the city reflects how Cape Town's housing crisis intersects with grassroots organising. Where government planning cycles move slowly and informal communities remain invisible in official data, SDI's partnership model encourages residents to become their own data collectors and negotiators. This approach fundamentally shifts who has authority over Cape Town's informal areas.