The living conditions that these people were forced to deal with were, and still are, terrible. The current government has been working on rebuilding the townships, however, it has taken many years. From what I understand, the sheet metal houses seen here will all be replaced with brick or concrete dwellings by 2014. Unfortuantely for the local population, these areas are still greatly underserviced by public transportation, it costs upto R30 to get into the city, whereas from District Six, most people could walk to their places of employment.
One interesting thing that I did have the opportunity to see was Vicky's Bed & Breakfast, which is located in the Khayelitsha Township. For R220 per person per night, you can stay right in the middle of one of the townships. This price includes both dinner and breakfast. It is truly remarkable to witness the economic microcosms that have developed inside of the Townships.
Here are some pictures from Langa:
Here are some pictures from Khayelitsha:
1 comment:
Your information is nor entirely correct. These shanty towns have developed partly as a result of urbanisation. Structures were actually built for the people who were forcibly removed from places such as district 6. They are evident in the concrete flats of areas of mannenberg, grassy park, etc. which have there own social problems. It is a bit more complicated than you have suggested.
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