About the Guide

This guide is for informational purposes only and does not replace legal advice from a qualified lawyer. We believe that knowing your rights and knowing more about the eviction process will allow you, the tenant, to take a more active role in your eviction defence. Even if you have legal representation understanding the law will empower you to engage better with your lawyer and make the process easier.

The constitution states that no person in South Africa (that includes foreigners living here) should be evicted into homelessness. It is with this in mind that the courts should adjudicate eviction matters. Read the guide and follow the actions provided, and you have a better chance of not being unlawfully evicted or evicted into homelessness.   

About the Evictions Project

OpenUp has partnered with civil society organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi and the social movement Reclaim the City to fight unlawful eviction and eviction into homelessness. We have run a number of research experiments as well as trialled a range of tools to help tenants. The Eviction Guide is currently our flagship information tool, but we hope to release more content and supplementary tools for tenants in the near future.

While every effort is taken to ensure that the content of the Evictions Guide and site is accurate, we welcome feedback and corrections. Law clinics and NGOs looking to collaborate should contact OpenUp, as we are always looking to improve our work and increase our impact.