The informal settlement clusters are an advocacy approach intended to exert pressure on the three tiers of government – local, provincial and national – to commit to addressing systemic issues impeding effective community participation.

Informal settlements in both Emalahleni Local Municipality, Mpumalanga and Ekurhuleni Metropolitan, Gauteng have formed a coalition to tackle service delivery issues as a unit.

This approach brings together communities from unplanned settlements to form ‘clusters’ and in turn to collectively advocate improved community participation in local governance processes. The rationale for adopting this approach is that these communities face similar challenges such as inadequate basic services. Of paramount importance is that the residents have experiential knowledge regarding the existing barriers to participation and are therefore well-positioned to provide rich recommendations regarding how to move towards more effective community participation. For instance, in multiple platforms facilitated by Planact the residents of the informal settlements have lamented that municipal officials largely embark on technocratic approaches.