Women Lead Movement was a Lead Facilitator of the Inkathalo Conversations.
The Inkathalo Conversations is a platform to advance and deepen who we are as a people, as a country and as a democracy. The first of The Inkathalo Conversations delves into the complex issue of homelessness in the City of Cape Town. The conversation was structured around a robust engagement methodology with the aim of facilitating dialogue among stakeholders. The stated outcome was to make direct and meaningful input into the decision-making process pertaining to the review of the Street People Policy (2013) and recommendations towards a citywide strategy to address homelessness in Cape Town. Using this dialogical approach, a wealth of lived experiences surfaced through the narratives of those who have experienced homelessness as well as those working alongside homeless individuals. The understandings that emerged and the recommendations received for amending the Street People Policy and for developing a strategy that is founded on justice, have been documented in this report. On 31 July 2020, the City of Cape Town, through the office of Councillor Zahid Badroodien, requested The Inkathalo Conversations to facilitate an independent “pre-public participation process” that would provide recommendations that would improve the City’s policies and strategies to address homelessness. The content of the first phase of the dialogues is contained in this Phase One Comprehensive Report and is shared with the public and the City of Cape Town. The Inkathalo Conversations Phase One took place from Wednesday, 19 August 2020 and concluded on Wednesday, 23 September 2020. The Inkathalo Conversations is guided by the preamble of the South African Constitution and its conversations are based on the duty to, “heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights.”
