Intervention Brief

This intervention brief describes the Alternative Service Delivery Unit's (ASDU) work in Malawi Camp, Cape Town. It details the community's socio-economic profile, current energy deficiencies, and the results of co-design sessions aimed at implementing community-led energy provision before the settlement's planned relocation.

• The Alternative Service Delivery Unit (ASDU), implemented by the GreenCape Sector Development Agency, uses an adaptive co-design framework to manage energy services for unserviced communities based on social inclusion, technical design, and financial sustainability.
• Malawi Camp is a settlement of over 1000 people and 314 households located on land belonging to the Municipality of Cape Town. The community lacks formal electricity and has limited communal water points, with an unemployment rate near 55% and over 50% of children aged 0-18 not attending school.
• Residents of Malawi Camp currently rely on wood, paraffin, gas, candles, and informal electricity for heating, cooking, and lighting. Through co-design sessions, the community prioritized home-level electricity, food storage (fridges), and area lighting to reduce criminal activity.
• Community members expressed a willingness to pay between R50 and R100 per month for safe and affordable services, with the goal of owning the system upon contract completion. However, the business case for off-grid provision is challenged by the planned relocation of beneficiaries to a formal housing development on Symphony Way in approximately 2023.

APA

GreenCape (n.d.). Intervention Brief. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Intervention-brief-Malawi-Camp.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Intervention Brief. n.d. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Intervention-brief-Malawi-Camp.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Intervention Brief |url=https://greencape.co.za/assets/Intervention-brief-Malawi-Camp.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencapendintervention, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Intervention Brief}}, institution = {GreenCape}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/assets/Intervention-brief-Malawi-Camp.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }