The apartheid regime kept the black majority in theinformalsettlementswheretheyenduredthemostagonizingbrunt of urban underdevelopment. Democratic government ofSouth Africa today continues to shape, reshape and reinforcethisunderdevelopmentalbeitinnewforms.Thispaperexamines the vulnerability of residents of informal settlement inMidvaalMunicipalitypursuedthroughacasestudyofSiceloShiceka, an informal settlement. The empirical findings of thisstudyunpackedthatinformalsettlementsarelargelyvulnerabletolackofwater,ablation,HIV/AIDS,crimeandviolence,xenophobiaandunemploymentamongstothers.Inresponse to some the vulnerabilities such as lack of income,informalresidentshaveadoptedarangeoflivelihoodstrategiesincludingcommercializationofsex,domesticworkand so on. The study concludes that the vulnerability and livedexperiences of residents points to poverty. These findings areprojected through in-depth interviews which are a technique ofqualitativemethodology.Theoratically,thepaperisinformedbythesocialsustainabilityandsustainablelivelihoodapproach.