Planact has supported more than ten informal settlements across the City of Ekurhuleni to conduct a comprehensive social audit on sanitation. The purpose of the audits was to monitor the standard of service against the contractual obligations for the chemical toilets residents use.

Representatives from various informal settlements that recently conducted a scaled up social audit joined #TeamPlanact at this year’s MTN Walk the Talk with 702 to walk for Dignified Sanitation for Informal Settlements.

On 6 July 2018, the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) launched two new ground-breaking research publications that dispel persistent myths associated with informal trade in South Africa, and clarify often misunderstood legal and constitutional obligations of local government in relation to informal trade.

After winning the Serious About Games competition in April 2017, Ikhayalami Development Services has made significant progress with the implementation of its digital re-blocking tool.

Ikhayalami Development Service's Empowershack project has reached a milestone in that the first 15 double story units have been completed and handed over to the community. The project has created a hype in Khayelitsha where many communities are wanting to implement similar projects as well as a hype in the architectural world. This follows the project's nomination for the Royal Institute of Architecture Prize.

Nomvula Dlamini, Director of the Community Development Resource Association (CDRA), writes for the Daily Maverick on the state of local government. 

In April 2018, the GGLN was invited, via the GGLN Secretariat, to participate in the recent SALGA & NCOP Local Government Week 2018. Xavia Poswa represented the GGLN on behalf of the Dullah Omar Institute at the event.

The Democracy Development Program's Programmes Director, Paul Kariuki writes for City Press via News24 on the state and importance of civic education in South Africa.

Written by PDG, Chapter 6 of the 2017 State of Local Governance publication discusses the range of purposes of government evaluations, including to improve accountability and to generate knowledge and learning for improved performance.

The National Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) answers the question. 

On behalf of the SA SDI Alliance, the Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC) shares updates on the Alliance’s income generation project in the Free State province, as well as lessons from its partnership project with the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.

Planact shares its latest short film, Budgeting for Change.