ABSTRACTSouth Africa has high levels of visible protest, which occur in parallel with less visible forms of protest. This paper considers the quieter forms of resisting in Durban drawing from two cases studies: informal street traders and shack dwellers. It applies Scott’s concept of ‘everyday resistance’ and Bayat’s notion of ‘quiet encroachment’. Street traders represent an ‘invisible’ power, preferring to avoid engagements with authorities and undermining power structures through a repertoire of daily trading tactics. Shack dwellers are more of a ‘visible’ power where protest is entrenched as part of the settlement ‘culture’ reflecting an ‘offensive’.Abbreviations: NGO: non-governmental organisation; ABM: Abahlali base Mjondolo; ANC: African National Congress; SEDA: Small Enterprise Development Agency