On Thursday, 15 May and Friday, 16 May 2025, SERI hosted a workshop for leaders of the Slovo Park Community Development Forum (SPCDF), which was hosted in Slovo Park. The two-day workshop, conducted at the request of the SPCDF, focused on principles of leadership. The workshop included an in-depth refresher on the SPCDF's constitution, which SERI's Edward Molopi facilitated; an interactive SWOT analysis of the SPCDF led by SERI's Lauren Royston; and a session on understanding identity, power, disadvantage, and intersectionality, which SERI's Thato Masiangoako facilitated.
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The second day of the workshop included a panel discussion, which included Mr Mike Makwela from PlanAct, Thapelo Mohapi from Abahlali baseMjondolo, as well as Nolwazi Mahlangu and Lungelo Mncwabe from SERI's Women's Spaces project as speakers. Mike reflected on the principles of good leadership by drawing on his decades of experience working with informal settlement residents. Thapelo discussed the significance of leadership as rooted in and guided by the needs and concerns of the community by reflecting on his experience in Abahlali baseMjondolo. Nolwazi and Lungelo presented findings from a recently published SERI report entitled 'A Gendered Analysis of Informal Settlements in South Africa', which sheds light on women's participation in the context of informal settlements. The SPCDF then had an opportunity to engage with the panel on concerns and questions they had regarding leadership in informal settlement struggles and avenues for strengthening leadership in preparation for informal settlement upgrading. The workshop was attended by approximately 36 leaders of the SPCDF representing the Women's Forum, Youth Forum, Men's Forum, Religious Forum, Business Forum, and the Block Committees.
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