Witsand Informal Settlement: Building resilient urban communities though innovation and partnership

This case study by GreenCape examines the implementation of an alternative service delivery model in the Witsand informal settlement in Cape Town, South Africa. Through a partnership between GreenCape, ThinkWifi, and community leaders, the project utilized an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach to co-design and deploy wifi-enabled solar street lights to address critical needs for connectivity and safety.

• The Witsand informal settlement is located 40km from the Cape Town central business district and had 4,689 residents as of the last census. The community is characterized by inadequate access to basic services, insufficient public space and facilities, and a lack of formal tenure.
• Socio-economic data for Witsand indicates significant challenges: 38% of respondents are unemployed, and as many as 80% of school-age children (0-18) are not in school. Monthly income for actively employed persons ranges between R1100 and R2200, while households spend over R2600 per month on basic necessities, with data and cellphone costs accounting for approximately 10%.
• To address the lack of infrastructure, the project employed an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach. This method focuses on mobilizing existing community assets and using participatory co-design to ensure that technical solutions are customized to the specific context and needs of the residents.
• The specific innovation deployed in Witsand consists of wifi-enabled solar street lights. These provide both area lighting to improve safety and security—addressing the fact that Witsand previously had no area lighting—and free, uncapped internet connectivity to help close the digital divide.
• The project highlights that a participatory co-design process is most effective when combined with a typological data approach to avoid delays and ensure targeted interventions. Furthermore, the document suggests that a dedicated national programme and fund are needed to support this dual approach to relocation and interim service delivery.
• The deployment of solar lights and wifi hotspots has led to the emergence of micro-businesses around the stations, allowing them to remain open after hours and promoting local economic empowerment, particularly during periods of load shedding in South Africa.

APA

GreenCape (2020). Witsand Informal Settlement: Building resilient urban communities though innovation and partnership. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape_Resilience_Case_Study_Witsand_29_6_20-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Witsand Informal Settlement: Building resilient urban communities though innovation and partnership. 2020. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape_Resilience_Case_Study_Witsand_29_6_20-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Witsand Informal Settlement: Building resilient urban communities though innovation and partnership |date=2020 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape_Resilience_Case_Study_Witsand_29_6_20-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2020witsand, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Witsand Informal Settlement: Building resilient urban communities though innovation and partnership}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2020}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape_Resilience_Case_Study_Witsand_29_6_20-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }