Abstract
Based on livelihood resilience, social practices, and agency, this paper investigates emergent vulnerabilities within the water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus in Johannesburg’s impoverished settlements. Using a qualitative approach involving observations and interviews, the study examines how low-income households manage nexus risks to meet daily needs. Research was conducted with a purposive sample of 40 respondents from informal dwellings in Alexandra, South Africa. Findings indicate that household vulnerability is primarily linked to food, nutrition, water, and energy insecurity. Consequently, households employ various shifting coping strategies involving formal and informal services to meet daily needs. These WEF trade-offs and practices demonstrate household resilience while highlighting its contingent and unstable nature. The study concludes that Alexandra’s households face significant trade-offs across the WEF nexus, driven primarily by income levels. The findings emphasize the need for cooperative governance and a shift from crisis management to holistic, place-based urban planning. Achieving this requires integrated frameworks where municipalities recognize the heterogeneity of informal settlements and address WEF insecurities as evolving, permanent features of the urban fabric.