About the ICRC

In South Africa, Gauteng province carries the highest proportion of the national population and is a favoured destination for migrant workers, with the latest estimate showing there are about 12.7 million people living in the province (Stats SA, 2013). Between 1996 and 2011, Gauteng had the largest population growth, at an average 3.2% per annum (GPG, 2013). According to census data, the number of households in Gauteng increased to 40% between 2001 and 2011, while the total population has increased almost 31% over the same period (HDA, 2013). The City of Johannesburg is Gauteng’s most populous municipality. It is also the country’s largest municipal economy. Johannesburg is a largely a divided municipality where the south is poorer, black, and lacking in infrastructure, while the north (exceptions are Alexandra and Diepsloot) is wealthier, better serviced, and disproportionately white. We can divide the City into two parts: the low-unemployment north, and the high-unemployment south.

Rental fees in the inner-city of Johannesburg remain very high. This area accommodates a concentrated multi-racial population composed of people born in Gauteng province, as well as migrants and immigrants from other South African provinces and other African countries and different parts of the world. Johannesburg is perceived as the economic hub and city of opportunities; many people migrate here to seek, better conditions of living. In the process of adaptation to their new environment, new comers encounter difficulties to find affordable accommodation and choose to share with their fellow comrades a space initially allocated for three among approximately ten residents.  This situation leads to the overcrowding of buildings, which is not easily manageable. Basic services cease to be supplied and consequently many buildings become dilapidated.

The Inner- City Resource Centre (ICRC) is a Non-Profit Organization that works in the field of humanitarianism, advocacy and development. The ICRC was formed in 2005 and is located in the inner-city of Johannesburg, in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. It emerged from the Inner City Forum (ICF) which was a community based organization formed principally to assist low income residents living in the inner-city of Johannesburg with issues regarding illegal evictions and human rights violations since 2000. ICRC’s mission, is to engage strategically with community groups who are under threat of evictions and/or partners to highlight Human Rights abuses of all forms, organizing and mobilizing and stimulating and initiating projects, all in furtherance of the making of an inclusionary, integrated, safe& friendly inner city environment in which the human rights for all regardless of race and immigration status, are achieved and sustained in practice. Since its creation, the ICRC provides paralegal advice and support to the communities within this area because it believes that service delivery and housing issues are basic human rights as stipulated in the Constitution of South Africa.During the conduct of its duties, ICRC managed to stop several illegal evictions: from 3000 people affected between 2003 and 2005, only 200 were remaining in 2007. In 2006 The ICRC joined forces with Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) and Centre on Housing Right and Evictions (COHRE) and challenge the city of Johannesburg to provide temporary accommodation to evictees of bad buildings. In 2008 the High Court ordered the city to provide shelters for them. 

After an appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal, the city was ordered to a “Meaningful Engagement” that resulted in the initiation, by the city, of a coalition of stakeholders to adopt a policy and strategies that will deal with housing and basic services’ issues in the city.  The ICRC, once again managed to lobby Johannesburg Water to stop cutting off water to tenants living in bad buildings and in 2008, a stand pipe was install in 17 different buildings in the inner-city of Johannesburg. From 2008, the ICRC has initiated Rivoningo Women Forum (RWF), a platform where women are empowered through different activities and training. These women meet regularly, share their experience of life on different subjects, learn from each other and develop a sense of self – dependence after discovering that they possess capacities within themselves. The ICRC has gained recognition because of its work on the housing sector. Currently, it has engaged with several local partner organizations as well as the city of Johannesburg. Currently, ICRC does its work through a network of affiliated buildings, settlements and spread across Greater Johannesburg municipality. These include: Bertrams Priority Block| Bekezela | Booysens informal settlement |City Deep |Kliptown| Jeppestown |Doornfontein | Joubert Park|Alexandra| Yeoville |Inner-city CBD |Berea| Hillbrow |Orange Groove |Turfontein| Robertsham|Orlando East| Pennyville| Cleveland| Sophiatown| Faraday and Wembley Temporary Settlement and the list is growing!