On 28 August 2026, the Legal Resources Centre represented 246 households residing at the Zamani Transit Camp in the Durban High Court. Between 2009 and 2011, the community was relocated by the eThekwini Municipality from the Uganda Informal Settlement in Isipingo to the Zamani Transit Camp. The residents were reluctant to relocate, but were given assurances by officials within the Municipality at the time that their stay in the Transit Camp would be temporary and that they would be allocated housing within 6 to 18 months. The residents have now been living at the Zamani Transit Camp for 17 years. The conditions of the camp, which was intended to be temporary, have naturally deteriorated over time.
Over the years, the residents of the Zamani Transit Camp attempted to engage the Municipality without success. They therefore approached the LRC for assistance in engaging with the eThekwini Municipality.
Today’s proceedings resulted in the majority of the relief sought by the residents being granted, including:
  1. That the conduct of the eThekwini Municipality  failed to comply with their statutory and constitutional duties towards the residents in relation to housing.
  2. That the Municipality must develop a policy governing Transit Camps.
  3. That the minimum norms and standards for residents’ access to water, sanitation and refuse removal, as provided for under the Emergency Housing Programme, must be adhered to.
The parties have agreed to return to court in September 2026 to finalise the Municipality’s Action Plan, which will be made an order of court.