Author(s): Mthunzi Khonjelwayo, Thandeka Ellenson, Nomfundo Zulu
The KwaZulu- Natal province is prevalent with informal settlements, where people who occupy these areas are, in most cases, in pursuit of employment opportunities. As a result, informal settlement has been a factor to which economic development could be mirrored. This study seeks to ascertain and analyse the nexus between the informal settlement and the economic development within the eThekwini metropolitan area. The study adopted a quantitative approach owing to the larger scale of population, and thus a survey was used as a data collection tool, while descriptive analysis was used as the data analysis tool. The study made the following finding: there is a causal link between the informal settlement and economic development in the eThekwini metropolitan area, and the study will be used to advise the Department of Human Settlement and Economic Development regarding this link, to inform policy analysis, strategy, and governance in the province of KwaZulu- Natal.