Mnguni, Thobeka2024-07-062024-07-062024-02Mnguni, Thobeka. (2024). Alternative Tenure Options as a Stepping Stone for Urban Land Reform: The Case of Kwa Mai Mai Muthi Market. [Master's dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WIReDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/38871https://hdl.handle.net/10539/38871A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Built Environment in Housing and Human Settlements, in the School of Architecture and Planning, in 2024.This research uses qualitative methods to investigate the case of the Kwa Mai Mai muthi market located in the central business district of Johannesburg where over the decades informal traders have converted their trading units into residential homes. This case is used to respond to the research question, ‘To what extent is taking administrative action to improve land tenure by offering communities rights to occupy urban land feasible and necessary for advancing the urban land reform agenda?.’ The research acknowledges that popular approaches to improving tenure by converting insecure tenure rights to statutory ownership through the Deeds office has had limited success and resulted in efficiencies due to the high costs and the resources intensive nature of this approach. Instead, the research recommends a necessary transition to improving tenure in innovative, context-specific ways that work to build on existing settlements through taking low-cost and low LOE administrative action.en©2024 University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgKwa Mai MaiJohannesburgMuthi marketTenureLand reformSouth AfricaUCTDSDG-9: Industry, innovation and infrastructureSDG-17: Partnerships for the goalsDissertationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg