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MEDIA ADVISORY
DATE: 25 November 2024
People’s Plan to the Right to Housing in an Age of Climate Change
WHAT: Launch of the People’s Plan to the Right to Housing in an Age of Climate Change co-hosted by the eThekwini Chief Strategy Office and The Durban Coalition
WHEN: Thursday, 28th November 2024; 8:30 till 14:00
WHERE: Botanic Gardens Venue, Durban
On Thursday 28th November, the Chief Strategy Office of eThekwini Municipality and the Durban Coalition will host the launch of the People’s Plan to the Right to Housing in the Age of Climate Change at the Durban Botanic Gardens.
The Durban Coalition is a growing non-political coalition of civil society organisations supported by local academia, and other technical experts. Its members represent a range of social movements, environmental and social justice NGOs, CBOs, university academics and civic structures such as ratepayers and residents’ associations. Formed in May 2022 in response to the April 2022 climate-induced floods, the Durban Coalition has, based on shared concerns, developed programme of action towards transforming our city into a more just, inclusive and climate resilient place to live.
The consequences of climate change are no longer an abstract future event. Increasingly, people in the city of eThekwini are experiencing severe weather events related to climate change. These events which include floods, storms, heatwaves and drought, pose significant threats to all life in the city, including to animals and plants. Scientists have stressed that a lack of political will to meet climate targets from all nation states means refocusing efforts toward finding ways to survive on a planet that overshoots a 1.5° Celsius increase in global temperature.
In an effort to address the devastating impacts of climate change on the ground, the Durban Coalition embarked on an integrated, participatory planning process over 18 months. The propositions that emerged were then tested through a broad ground-truthing exercise across the diverse constituencies and partners that make up the membership of the Durban Coalition.
The outcome of this process is the People’s Plan for the Right to Housing in an Age of Climate Change which offers a clear programmatic implementation guide for the municipality and civil society partners to prepare city and its people to live through severe weather events and protect people’s rights to housing and a healthy environment, especially for those who are most marginalised. The People’s Plan offers innovative programmes on a range of solutions including technical norms and standards for climate resilience, community disaster management planning, security of tenure, and new governance arrangements.
The co-launch of the plan by local government and civil society in the form of a workshop is historically significant in that it seeks to directly inform the housing section of the eThekwini Municipality’s 2025/2026 Integrated Development Plan (IDP) along with other relevant planning processes in Provincial and National spheres of government. This speaks directly to how the SA Constitution envisioned the democratic functioning of local governance. In the true spirit of participatory governance, OSS and the District Development Model (DDM) civil society organisations will workshop with government officials how to operationalise the Peoples’ Plan at the launch.
Ends
RSVP:
Due to limited space, media representatives who wish to attend are requested to confirm their attendance with Thalia Erwin by email to before close of business on the 26th November 2024.
Media Enquiries:
Tsepang Molefe: 074 405 1257
For media representatives who would like to attend the launch event, cover, follow and/or feature this story, an embargoed copy of the Peoples Plan may be made available in English and IsiZulu.
