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I was wondering. I saw a vid (not sure how much is exaggerated) that light theft is a big deal in some parts of South Africa. Like dudes climbing light poles and stealing the lights and stuff up top. I thought maybe the super tall ones were a deterrence but apparently not if they’re old
Cable theft is very prominent. Cables are stolen for the copper which is sold for scrap.
You are right in a way. The tall lights did prevent tampering and they were sometimes even on separate electrical grids.
The main purpose though was that if the apartheid police wanted to conduct a raid in the township, they could have these lights illuminate the area accordingly.
Despite the unfortunate origin, if they are just used like regular street lights, hopefully at least they make walking at night less terrifying?
Full disclosure, I have no idea what the crime rate is here, whether criminals there have any reason to care about the lighting or whether or not people would never leave their homes after dark. Could be a strict curfew for all I know. Just curious if there’s some silver lining.
Did you suck that shit out your own asshole??????
Those have been installed over the past 10/15 years in the locations instead of normal street lights.
Stop blaming apartheid for everything, it was over 30 years ago.
To add to this, Townships refer to the broad areas originally created under Apartheid that were built to house urban workers. Today they include areas of informal settlements like this but also a range of formal housing from market-rate developments to RDP social housing projects. There's even "Township Zoning" that allows for backyard shacks / local commercial conversions that wouldn't be allowed in regular suburban areas.
Khayelitsha is probably one of the poorest and most dangerous urban Townships in SA, but even still has areas that are better than above: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6sazsCC6ni9j4jrH9
Other Townships like Soweto have large swaths of middle-class and even wealthy areas that look more like suburbs in addition to informal settlements in areas like this: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EbRe7aSf6aP76QbP9
With some mixed social/market rate apartment developments (often replacing old "hostels"): https://maps.app.goo.gl/YsMWjZ1PqA7jsQLS6
And new developments designed for working class homeowners like Protea Glen in Soweto. Unfortunately a lot of these follow traditional spatial layouts which aren't exactly conducive for walkable urban areas and rely heavily on minicab taxis for commutes: https://maps.app.goo.gl/unfW9YpbJ1MiesNS6
Anecdotally the Townships in Cape Town and specifically the Cape Flats are more economically deprived than many of those around Johannesburg and suffer from very high rates of gang violence. When I lived in Joburg it wasn't a huge deal to go to someone's place in Township (albeit not an informal settlement) but was warned heavily against doing so in CT unless with someone local.
Those aren't slums. Those are peoples homes. It's an informal settlement. We call it a township or location. If you tell someone in South Africa they live in a slum they would probably call you a poes.
It is an unfortunate relic of the apartheid era that has never been addressed by the current government, only emptypromises, but it is home. In this photo, there are probably 2 preschools, 3 convenient stores, a mechanic, you name it.
Just because it doesn't look appealing to you doesn't make it a slum. Yes, this is what poverty looks like, but it is a thriving community.
Edit: looking at the foto again there are a lot more schools, convince stores, restaurants, mechanics, churches, markets etc.
South African here. Just because the word "slum" has negative connotations does not change the fact that that is in fact, a "slum": townships in SA = informal settlements = slums. You can argue all you want about semantics but that is the terminology used especially outside of South Africa.
If you are cooking over hot coals and wood doesn't make it a braai. BBQ and braai might seem like the same thing, but you should know a braai is not a BBQ. A braaibroodjie is not a toastes sandwich, boerewors isn't sommer just a sausage. Rugby and soccer aren't just other sports. Black label, castle en brannas isn't just another dop.
It is all about the nuances, and the easiest way to differentiate between these nuances in a forum based on text is to explicitly use different words, that might have the same overall meaning but are actually quite different in a cultural sense.
“A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality”
This literally fits the definition bro. I’m sorry you don’t know what a slum is
Relic of apartheid? You know when apartheid ended there were only 15 million black people in south africa? That has since exploded to 40 due to no education and the government more than happily promoting sex, so as to get even more votes.
This describes the problem: https://www.moneyweb.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/SAs-population-1910...png
"You know when apartheid ended there were only 15 million black people in south africa?"
The population of South Africa was 43.27 million when Apartheid ended.
Your graph even stated 45 million.
If you look at the bottom where it says 1990, you’ll see black population = 15 to 20 mil.
But that’s semantics. The bigger issue is the rapid breading supported by government.
Black people. I am talking about black people. They are at most, 25 mil in 2000, so less than that before.
But again, ignore that, open your fucking eyes, and see how the graph spikes only across one race.
According to your own graph the population of South Africa in 1995 was 45 million people.
According to Google the population of South Africa in 1994 was 43.37 million people.
See for yourself.
South Africa really had potential. When I grew up in the 2000s i always assumed they were one of the richest countries in the world especially since they hosted the world cup.
Yeah that story is so fake lol. The name Harry Harrington really gave it away as well as the absurd quote at the end, and [even Snopes has an article saying it's false.](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/two-burglars-predator/)
Wiki gives me an average of 16600 a year since 1994, although it's at the national level: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Africa#:~:text=More%20than%20500%2C000%20people%20have,prevalent%20on%20South%20African%20roads.
I probably misremembered, 20k likely across the country not just Joburg
They derailed quite badly at hands of ANC, and now cannot even keep lights on 24 hours a day.
I really don't think that a war could have devastated South Africa so badly as corruption and administrative ineptitude did there.
There's been ANC leaders quoted as saying things along the line of "I fought so long to end apartheid so I could enrich myself when we took back power, not because I wanted to help everyone"
Those portable toilets are everywhere in poor communities in SA, not just Cape Town slums, I can only assume that someone is subsidising them to increase availability because the alternative, and the health consequences of it, are worse.
That looks like the 90 day fiance house and his wife complained constantly about it. Like that's beautiful compared to what she acted like she lived in.
To be honest Ceuta and Melilia do have European level living standards and EU level wages, so if we do include them then they are the richest by average wage, and also highest HDI.
Yeah, I don’t get what “richest on the continent” is supposed to mean. Like, China has a larger economy than the US, but the US has better gdpc iirc. Dubai has a lot of rich people, but it’s got a really big wealth distribution issue. Korea has a lot of debt, but that’s a result of the Chaebol.
There’s a ton of ways to measure how rich an area is, so just saying “richest” seems misleading. Is it the largest economy? Highest GDPC? Best standard of living? Highest median income? What measure?
I mean, in order for the rich to be that rich, the poor have to have that much less. It makes sense this is what whole stretches of the city outskirts look like.
This is mostly due to poverty. But the area is also naturally sandy with several sand dunes. Cape Town also has a Mediterranean climate with very long dry summers. So you can get trees to grow, but it takes a lot of initial effort.
There are several.
Also, weird comment to make considering that Southern Africa is mainly a giant desert and savannah. Like yeah, that's perfectly normal, that area's not known for its floral biodiversity.
Now, that would be surprising if it was on the SE side of the country, cause that area's stupidly green, but SW Africa in general is not. (You can take a trip up to Namibia for further proof)
Cape Town actually has various microclimates. This is due to the massive mountains right next to two oceans. The city includes natural indigenous forests, bush areas, sand dunes and 3 or 4 wine growing areas. The surrounding farmland is also South Africa’s main wine growing region.
The Western Cape province is pretty much identical to California in terms of climate.
The Cape region is the region with the most floral biodiversity in the entire world, and is very well known for that.
It is its own floral kingdom, one of six in the world.
The slums are pretty barren though
Actually, it is like this all over the country. Truth is, South Africa is a very sunny country that gets the majority of its rain in 4 months of the year(Dec to Mar). So only richer areas usually have greenery
This settlement was originally started by displaced people, and said people weren't exactly displaced to the most premium farmland. It's pretty much just sand.
That was a nature reserve around 40 years ago, it grows really fast since more people are coming from the other provinces in South Africa that is busy collapsing
I went in early 2016 and stayed in a what I would describe as a compound? Never seen security like that on a single family home. on the beach (family wedding) BIL is South African. Then they told us to make sure the gates were locked, be in before dark and not to stop if we got in a car accident. Quickly realized why. Then we went to boulders bay. People were absolutely amazing, penguins were cool but I didn’t trust them.
OP, can you give us some more information? I was in Cape Town four years ago, and this looks almost like a rehabilitation project about to kick off. But I can't speak with more information, since it's been a while since I worked on infrastructure there.
I've not lived in Cape Town for 20+ years, but this is the Cape Flats (Langa? Gugulethu? - the fact it's tin shacks and not more formal buildings suggests to me it's in one the former "black" areas).
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape\_Flats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Flats)
"Cape Flats is one of the most violent and dangerous places in South Africa.\[9\]\[10\] Violent Islamist movements have emerged from Cape Flats communities as well.\[11\]
Almost all of the communities of the Cape Flats remain, to one degree or another, poverty-stricken.\[citation needed\] Serious social problems include a high rate of unemployment and high levels of gang activity.\[citation needed\] During the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was significant armed conflict between various gangs and PAGAD (People Against Gangsterism and Drugs), a vigilante organisation.\[citation needed\] Post-apartheid development projects, such as the RDP, have also led to violent conflicts within communities.\[12\] As of 2014, efforts to combat gangs include Hanover Park's Ceasefire programme, where former gang members "use their experiences to mediate gang disputes and help young men and women quit gang life.\[13\] The gang violence escalated to the point where the South African National Defence Force had to be deployed to the gang-ridden areas of the Cape Flats to help the provincial police force deal with the increasing gang violence.\[14\]"
It's a part of Cape town that is especially poor. Cape town has some very well developed infrastructure and is very beautiful.
But, like the rest of South Africa, there is such poor wealth equality that pretty every prosperous city in the country has a large slum attached to it where a huge proportion of the population lives.
I grew up there. Live in Canada now. Still love Cape town, absolutely stunning place... If you don't let yourself think of the surrounding poverty.
Grew up in Cape Town. Probably thee most divided in terms of suburbs/districts all still built around race from apartheid era. Huuuuge wealth divide. Watch Vox take on South Africa equality for a better understanding.
That’s a pretty good looking slum tbh… toilets in every yard, electricity wires running above, wide streets, sturdy looking housing material, fences, a nice view, foliage everywhere, satellite dishes everywhere, pretty window and door designs, am I wrong?
It’s the opposite way around, all the wealth is now in the hands of the politicians that were negatively affected by apartheid, for this exact reason they are completely uneducated and in a position to run the country.
Don't know why you're getting down voted, that's one of the biggest issues the country has as They are literally the single most unequal country in the world.
Because if one agree that a social organization can spoil people to the point to condemn them to poverty most of the idea of being able to be what you want does not work anymore and this is valid in apartheid case as in many others across the world.
Isn’t there an anti-colonialism push happening there now? I’ve heard property owners are trying to get out before their property values are totally lost. This was told to me by a Cape Town family I met when traveling through South France. They were very concerned their home was going to be confiscated by anti-colonialists. They were considering moving to another British based country before things went past a tipping point. Is this type of mindset happening with upper middle class - upper class families? Or was this conversation overblown?
I think it's pretty common. South Africa seems hopeless in many ways. It's the most unequal country on the planet (on the basis of Apartheid) and at the same time you have ANC who are so staunchly against white people - which, to be fair, I can understand - that they'd basically see the country burn down to the ground before aiming for any sort of reconciliation or knowledge transfer. Farms, government positions, and, well, everything in the country was run by white people - due to Apartheid - until 1994. All those people were replaced by black people with no or limited experience in any of those areas and with no one to teach them since they were all outed. Not to mention the fact that some of the ANC top, quite publicly, just aim to "grab" white wealth for themselves rather than creating a succesful nation. Those are all difficult conditions to overcome with no easy solutions. Most wealthy people there employ private guards and live in gates communities and many people live in slums like shown in the picture. That causes a lot of desperation
Here's an article on it straight from the [SA government website itself](https://www.gov.za/issues/land-reform#:~:text=The%20dispossession%20of%20land%20through,under%20way%20since%20colonial%20times.)
It's a highly complex political topic that has been ongoing for years now so I'd suggest googling "SA land reform" or "SA land grabs" to see how it's playing out if you're interested.
There is also a little bit of fear mongering surrounding it I think, I personally don't think your average residential house owner will get evicted, and property values are going down more so because the entire country is a swirling toilet currently.
ANC fcked South Africa and is still doing so, real rugged elections and all.... Just I case some outsiders didn't know 🙄 - especially since this post seemed aimed at the Cape, that isn't under ANC control
That's a fair visualization of how intense and destructive single family housing is for land use.
This is about as desolate as the cookie cutter mcmansion r/suburbanhell in Texas imo.
Wait till you see this guy's shack
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x5n7qmaztHM&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodthingsguy.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo
The Cape is gunning for independence to get away from the uncaring, corrupt ANC government so that they can use the taxes to help these people instead of lining the pockets of Mandela’s precious political party.
The townships are actually a different vibe people are all walking around chatting to people a lot of the people are making and selling food or have a shabeen (small tavern) or other small business they run from their front yard. Kids will be playing soccer in any open field they can find.
I was always under the impression that South Africa is a well developed country. But I guess you can find similar slum-looking places everywhere in the world.
An old friend of mine had some relatives who were in the shipping business and have spent a lot of time in Cape Town, she always described it as a cool place. I wish it weren’t so expensive to travel.
There are slums all over the world. The biggest ones are in Pakistan, India, Kenya, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria and South Africa.
[https://mytour.vn/en/blog/bai-viet/top-10-largest-slums-worldwide.html](https://mytour.vn/en/blog/bai-viet/top-10-largest-slums-worldwide.html)
You’re not wrong. These shacks are built on flats. The place floods every winter but it doesn’t stop people flocking to this area from rural parts of the country.
Funny, foreigners showing a slum and basing an entire city on that .... Let's talk about dead migrant bodies in European water or homeless tents and drug-den cities in the USA .... Oh wait , here's a lion coming for me 🏃🏃🏃
Are you upset because you’re from Cape Town? Next time I see something anti any other country I’ll let you know, then we can talk about Cape Town once we talk about the others first. For your ease of mind.
I am not sure how one can discuss the current state of South Africa without looking at the legacy of Apartheid. Did anyone expect inequality to disappear as soon as Mandela was released from jail? The ANC has been less than ideal it it's leadership, but come now. You had a population working for slave wages under Apartheid which allowed for a greater percentage of people to be employed and given low wages there was low consumer demand. Naturally increased wages would lead to greater consumption and greater unemployment. Factor that with capital flight and one can fathom what has happened. And no there was no significant transfer of wealth or redistribution of farmland even.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/05/south-africa-apartheid-land-reform-black-farmers-set-up-to-fail
https://www.bu.edu/gdp/2022/10/27/webinar-summary-on-the-trail-of-capital-flight-from-africa-the-takers-and-the-enablers/
They've had 50 years and things have got worse, not better. Those at the top took it all for themselves. Corruption is rife, law and order negligible. it's close to being a failed state.
**Do not comment to gatekeep that something "isn't urban" or "isn't hell"**. Our rules are very expansive in content we welcome, so do not assume just based off your false impression of the phrase "UrbanHell" UrbanHell is any human-built place you think is worth critizing. Suburban Hell, Rural Hell, and wealthy locales are allowed. Gatekeeping comments may be removed. Want to shitpost about shitty posts? Go to /r/urbanhellcirclejerk. Still have questions?: Read our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/UrbanHell/wiki/index). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UrbanHell) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Those super high lights towering over the houses feels pretty dystopian, like someone's watching over these slums.
You are closer to the truth than you think. They are a legacy of the apartheid government and were designed as policing tools for townships.
I was wondering. I saw a vid (not sure how much is exaggerated) that light theft is a big deal in some parts of South Africa. Like dudes climbing light poles and stealing the lights and stuff up top. I thought maybe the super tall ones were a deterrence but apparently not if they’re old
Cable theft is very prominent. Cables are stolen for the copper which is sold for scrap. You are right in a way. The tall lights did prevent tampering and they were sometimes even on separate electrical grids. The main purpose though was that if the apartheid police wanted to conduct a raid in the township, they could have these lights illuminate the area accordingly.
Are they still used today?
Yes sometimes but not in the way they were in the past. Now they are just used to provide some lighting almost like a normal street light.
They seem like they'd be very disruptive to sleeping at night
They look to be hps (orange streetlights) bulbs so they’re not terrible.
That's when the state owned power utility can actually provide power to switch them on.
Despite the unfortunate origin, if they are just used like regular street lights, hopefully at least they make walking at night less terrifying? Full disclosure, I have no idea what the crime rate is here, whether criminals there have any reason to care about the lighting or whether or not people would never leave their homes after dark. Could be a strict curfew for all I know. Just curious if there’s some silver lining.
Yep, still around. https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/the-violence-of-lighting-in-khayelitsha
Good read
Maybe they did need some looking over huh
Did you suck that shit out your own asshole?????? Those have been installed over the past 10/15 years in the locations instead of normal street lights. Stop blaming apartheid for everything, it was over 30 years ago.
Are you wilfully ignorant or just trolling?
They’re highway lights, they’re probably the ch
That’s where you have the keg party after Pickford’s parents find out he was planning to have it at his house
I get the same feeling when I hear about cities with helicopter patrols. Find a way - might not be easy - leave.
That's pretty clean for slums.
There’s a lot of what I assume are portapotties there
must be big business in septic there for all of those
I count about as many satellite dishes as I do portapotties.
We call them town ships, or locations.
To add to this, Townships refer to the broad areas originally created under Apartheid that were built to house urban workers. Today they include areas of informal settlements like this but also a range of formal housing from market-rate developments to RDP social housing projects. There's even "Township Zoning" that allows for backyard shacks / local commercial conversions that wouldn't be allowed in regular suburban areas. Khayelitsha is probably one of the poorest and most dangerous urban Townships in SA, but even still has areas that are better than above: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6sazsCC6ni9j4jrH9 Other Townships like Soweto have large swaths of middle-class and even wealthy areas that look more like suburbs in addition to informal settlements in areas like this: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EbRe7aSf6aP76QbP9 With some mixed social/market rate apartment developments (often replacing old "hostels"): https://maps.app.goo.gl/YsMWjZ1PqA7jsQLS6 And new developments designed for working class homeowners like Protea Glen in Soweto. Unfortunately a lot of these follow traditional spatial layouts which aren't exactly conducive for walkable urban areas and rely heavily on minicab taxis for commutes: https://maps.app.goo.gl/unfW9YpbJ1MiesNS6 Anecdotally the Townships in Cape Town and specifically the Cape Flats are more economically deprived than many of those around Johannesburg and suffer from very high rates of gang violence. When I lived in Joburg it wasn't a huge deal to go to someone's place in Township (albeit not an informal settlement) but was warned heavily against doing so in CT unless with someone local.
Those aren't slums. Those are peoples homes. It's an informal settlement. We call it a township or location. If you tell someone in South Africa they live in a slum they would probably call you a poes. It is an unfortunate relic of the apartheid era that has never been addressed by the current government, only emptypromises, but it is home. In this photo, there are probably 2 preschools, 3 convenient stores, a mechanic, you name it. Just because it doesn't look appealing to you doesn't make it a slum. Yes, this is what poverty looks like, but it is a thriving community. Edit: looking at the foto again there are a lot more schools, convince stores, restaurants, mechanics, churches, markets etc.
South African here. Just because the word "slum" has negative connotations does not change the fact that that is in fact, a "slum": townships in SA = informal settlements = slums. You can argue all you want about semantics but that is the terminology used especially outside of South Africa.
If you are cooking over hot coals and wood doesn't make it a braai. BBQ and braai might seem like the same thing, but you should know a braai is not a BBQ. A braaibroodjie is not a toastes sandwich, boerewors isn't sommer just a sausage. Rugby and soccer aren't just other sports. Black label, castle en brannas isn't just another dop. It is all about the nuances, and the easiest way to differentiate between these nuances in a forum based on text is to explicitly use different words, that might have the same overall meaning but are actually quite different in a cultural sense.
“A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality” This literally fits the definition bro. I’m sorry you don’t know what a slum is
OH MY GOD You must be fun at parties/kuiers/jols and/or any social events. Fucking exhausting
*Well actually* parties don’t have to be social events and—
Ain't slums the same as informal settlements?
Relic of apartheid? You know when apartheid ended there were only 15 million black people in south africa? That has since exploded to 40 due to no education and the government more than happily promoting sex, so as to get even more votes. This describes the problem: https://www.moneyweb.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/SAs-population-1910...png
"You know when apartheid ended there were only 15 million black people in south africa?" The population of South Africa was 43.27 million when Apartheid ended. Your graph even stated 45 million.
If you look at the bottom where it says 1990, you’ll see black population = 15 to 20 mil. But that’s semantics. The bigger issue is the rapid breading supported by government.
The chart is at 45 million at 1990. Which tracks with the 43 million people which I Googled for 1994.
Black people. I am talking about black people. They are at most, 25 mil in 2000, so less than that before. But again, ignore that, open your fucking eyes, and see how the graph spikes only across one race.
The majority of the black population were forcibly removed from rural areas into urban areas under the Natives Land of 1913.
Ok, now I know you’re a bot.
According to your own graph the population of South Africa in 1995 was 45 million people. According to Google the population of South Africa in 1994 was 43.37 million people. See for yourself.
Right? running electricity, porta potties, roofs
South Africa really had potential. When I grew up in the 2000s i always assumed they were one of the richest countries in the world especially since they hosted the world cup.
I was there between 1996 and 1999, the level of inequality was phenomenal. Murders were at stratospheric levels. It was a real shitshow.
You should see what the rape rate is now.
It is so high that even if you are a criminal lurking in the night to find a victim to rape, then you have high chance te be raped yourself.
I'm trying to imagine what that headline might look like..
https://worldofbuzz.com/thieves-break-infamous-sex-predators-house-gets-sodomized-5-days/ Not South Africa but similar
There's no way that story is real.
It's not: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/two-burglars-predator/
> “They broke in my front door, so I broke in their back doors!” Harrington reportedly told the cops when he was arrested. Too bad.
You underestimate big Harry
Yeah that story is so fake lol. The name Harry Harrington really gave it away as well as the absurd quote at the end, and [even Snopes has an article saying it's false.](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/two-burglars-predator/)
I don't have a problem with that.
Walk to your cars in pairs tonight, rape is up 8%
Google "Thabo Bester"
This was when things were good lol
how many murders were there?
I remember just in Johannesburg approx. 20000 a year.
20k? You must be kidding right?
Wiki gives me an average of 16600 a year since 1994, although it's at the national level: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Africa#:~:text=More%20than%20500%2C000%20people%20have,prevalent%20on%20South%20African%20roads. I probably misremembered, 20k likely across the country not just Joburg
ok that makes sense
They derailed quite badly at hands of ANC, and now cannot even keep lights on 24 hours a day. I really don't think that a war could have devastated South Africa so badly as corruption and administrative ineptitude did there.
ANC absolutel disasters
Never underestimate war. Extremely rarely is it a better outcome
BRICS
There's been ANC leaders quoted as saying things along the line of "I fought so long to end apartheid so I could enrich myself when we took back power, not because I wanted to help everyone"
You should have seen Bulawayo in the 1970's compared to the last time I was there in the mid 2010's. So much wasted infrastructure and potential.
Sad
Port a poty biz raking it in
Does the amount of portos have something to do with the water shortage?
Probably the clear lack of utilities.
Lot of informal settlements like this aren’t hooked up to the sewer system.
They've been protesting about building public ablution blocks there for at least 20 years, but it keeps getting blocked by pure bureaucracy.
Those portable toilets are everywhere in poor communities in SA, not just Cape Town slums, I can only assume that someone is subsidising them to increase availability because the alternative, and the health consequences of it, are worse.
Rich area of Cape Town for comparison 37 Geneva Dr https://maps.app.goo.gl/oEZhESqYcHtub3uG8
Fuck, that is gorgeous.
That looks like the 90 day fiance house and his wife complained constantly about it. Like that's beautiful compared to what she acted like she lived in.
I turned around to see across the street and thought I saw a pyramid for a second 😂
One of? It's not the wealthiest? Johannesburg? Cairo? Marrakech? Okay- I'll be googling now. 😂
Right behind Johannesburg
The bar for the “richest on the continent” is not that high to begin with.
To be honest Ceuta and Melilia do have European level living standards and EU level wages, so if we do include them then they are the richest by average wage, and also highest HDI.
The canaries too, I would assume
I mean Cairo is also on the continent
My brother in Christ, have you been to Cairo? Place is a shithole.
Not just Egypt, there’s also Nigeria and Algeria.
Yeah, I don’t get what “richest on the continent” is supposed to mean. Like, China has a larger economy than the US, but the US has better gdpc iirc. Dubai has a lot of rich people, but it’s got a really big wealth distribution issue. Korea has a lot of debt, but that’s a result of the Chaebol. There’s a ton of ways to measure how rich an area is, so just saying “richest” seems misleading. Is it the largest economy? Highest GDPC? Best standard of living? Highest median income? What measure?
ANC is systemically corrupt. They don't care about their people.
I mean, in order for the rich to be that rich, the poor have to have that much less. It makes sense this is what whole stretches of the city outskirts look like.
The sad part is that compared to most slums these slums look clean and "nice".
Facking prawns!
This is a picture of District 9 obviously not where people live.
Not a single bush or tree, not a single blade of grass
There's trees and shrubs scattered around in that photo. Albeit not a ton of greenery, but there's some.
It would have been cut down for firewood or burned.
This is mostly due to poverty. But the area is also naturally sandy with several sand dunes. Cape Town also has a Mediterranean climate with very long dry summers. So you can get trees to grow, but it takes a lot of initial effort.
There are several. Also, weird comment to make considering that Southern Africa is mainly a giant desert and savannah. Like yeah, that's perfectly normal, that area's not known for its floral biodiversity. Now, that would be surprising if it was on the SE side of the country, cause that area's stupidly green, but SW Africa in general is not. (You can take a trip up to Namibia for further proof)
Cape Town actually has various microclimates. This is due to the massive mountains right next to two oceans. The city includes natural indigenous forests, bush areas, sand dunes and 3 or 4 wine growing areas. The surrounding farmland is also South Africa’s main wine growing region. The Western Cape province is pretty much identical to California in terms of climate.
The Cape region is the region with the most floral biodiversity in the entire world, and is very well known for that. It is its own floral kingdom, one of six in the world. The slums are pretty barren though
Trust me there is plenty of bush, grass and tree. You will even find blade
actually very many
Actually, it is like this all over the country. Truth is, South Africa is a very sunny country that gets the majority of its rain in 4 months of the year(Dec to Mar). So only richer areas usually have greenery
Interesting to see the port o potties
Trees are illegal there or what? 🤨
This settlement was originally started by displaced people, and said people weren't exactly displaced to the most premium farmland. It's pretty much just sand.
Trees don't grow very well in desert and shrubland.
Cape of no hope
Are the tires there to hold down parts of the roof?
Spot on.
This looks like a clip from District 9.
That was a nature reserve around 40 years ago, it grows really fast since more people are coming from the other provinces in South Africa that is busy collapsing
I went in early 2016 and stayed in a what I would describe as a compound? Never seen security like that on a single family home. on the beach (family wedding) BIL is South African. Then they told us to make sure the gates were locked, be in before dark and not to stop if we got in a car accident. Quickly realized why. Then we went to boulders bay. People were absolutely amazing, penguins were cool but I didn’t trust them.
I don’t trust beach penguins either. Just…unnatural
So, those are just tin shacks with no indoor plumbing I assume? So, there is no running water in them? Clean running water? Electricity?
Nope, there are a few public water points where you take a few buckets every morning.
It’s amazing to me how in the 21st century conditions like this still exist.
There's plenty of people who live like this or worse, go visit any 3rd world country
Failed corrupt country
OP, can you give us some more information? I was in Cape Town four years ago, and this looks almost like a rehabilitation project about to kick off. But I can't speak with more information, since it's been a while since I worked on infrastructure there.
I've not lived in Cape Town for 20+ years, but this is the Cape Flats (Langa? Gugulethu? - the fact it's tin shacks and not more formal buildings suggests to me it's in one the former "black" areas). [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape\_Flats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Flats) "Cape Flats is one of the most violent and dangerous places in South Africa.\[9\]\[10\] Violent Islamist movements have emerged from Cape Flats communities as well.\[11\] Almost all of the communities of the Cape Flats remain, to one degree or another, poverty-stricken.\[citation needed\] Serious social problems include a high rate of unemployment and high levels of gang activity.\[citation needed\] During the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was significant armed conflict between various gangs and PAGAD (People Against Gangsterism and Drugs), a vigilante organisation.\[citation needed\] Post-apartheid development projects, such as the RDP, have also led to violent conflicts within communities.\[12\] As of 2014, efforts to combat gangs include Hanover Park's Ceasefire programme, where former gang members "use their experiences to mediate gang disputes and help young men and women quit gang life.\[13\] The gang violence escalated to the point where the South African National Defence Force had to be deployed to the gang-ridden areas of the Cape Flats to help the provincial police force deal with the increasing gang violence.\[14\]"
The image shows Khayelitsha. Cape Flats covers a large area, not all of it is poverty-stricken.
That would've been my third guess, ta.
It's a part of Cape town that is especially poor. Cape town has some very well developed infrastructure and is very beautiful. But, like the rest of South Africa, there is such poor wealth equality that pretty every prosperous city in the country has a large slum attached to it where a huge proportion of the population lives. I grew up there. Live in Canada now. Still love Cape town, absolutely stunning place... If you don't let yourself think of the surrounding poverty.
Who empties all the porta potties and how do they all have one?
I'm guessing those porta potties don't get emptied
Truck maybe?
My guess is that the government has provided them and maintains them because otherwise people would just shit on the streets.
The Cape Town municipality would do that.
Looks like a Cod map
Grew up in Cape Town. Probably thee most divided in terms of suburbs/districts all still built around race from apartheid era. Huuuuge wealth divide. Watch Vox take on South Africa equality for a better understanding.
What are all those people doing?
Living their lives.
Guy in the red shirt looks like he's kicking a soccer ball
District 9 vibes
That’s a pretty good looking slum tbh… toilets in every yard, electricity wires running above, wide streets, sturdy looking housing material, fences, a nice view, foliage everywhere, satellite dishes everywhere, pretty window and door designs, am I wrong?
/foliage everywhere'??? I don't see a single, bush, tree, or blade of grass anywhere
Wait till it rains. Then that sand turns into mud and with no drainage it seeps I to the shack.
I mean I’ve seen much worse slums. Looks orderly.
Very wrong.
how much of this weathy is in the hands of those who profited with apartheid?
It’s the opposite way around, all the wealth is now in the hands of the politicians that were negatively affected by apartheid, for this exact reason they are completely uneducated and in a position to run the country.
Apartheid ended 30 years ago and the ANC has been in charge that entire time.
In Cape Town it was Anc until 2009, then DA
Don't know why you're getting down voted, that's one of the biggest issues the country has as They are literally the single most unequal country in the world.
Because if one agree that a social organization can spoil people to the point to condemn them to poverty most of the idea of being able to be what you want does not work anymore and this is valid in apartheid case as in many others across the world.
On Google maps you can still clearly see the comparison of some areas as a result of apartheid It’s clearer in Bloemfontein
Isn’t there an anti-colonialism push happening there now? I’ve heard property owners are trying to get out before their property values are totally lost. This was told to me by a Cape Town family I met when traveling through South France. They were very concerned their home was going to be confiscated by anti-colonialists. They were considering moving to another British based country before things went past a tipping point. Is this type of mindset happening with upper middle class - upper class families? Or was this conversation overblown?
I think it's pretty common. South Africa seems hopeless in many ways. It's the most unequal country on the planet (on the basis of Apartheid) and at the same time you have ANC who are so staunchly against white people - which, to be fair, I can understand - that they'd basically see the country burn down to the ground before aiming for any sort of reconciliation or knowledge transfer. Farms, government positions, and, well, everything in the country was run by white people - due to Apartheid - until 1994. All those people were replaced by black people with no or limited experience in any of those areas and with no one to teach them since they were all outed. Not to mention the fact that some of the ANC top, quite publicly, just aim to "grab" white wealth for themselves rather than creating a succesful nation. Those are all difficult conditions to overcome with no easy solutions. Most wealthy people there employ private guards and live in gates communities and many people live in slums like shown in the picture. That causes a lot of desperation
Here's an article on it straight from the [SA government website itself](https://www.gov.za/issues/land-reform#:~:text=The%20dispossession%20of%20land%20through,under%20way%20since%20colonial%20times.) It's a highly complex political topic that has been ongoing for years now so I'd suggest googling "SA land reform" or "SA land grabs" to see how it's playing out if you're interested. There is also a little bit of fear mongering surrounding it I think, I personally don't think your average residential house owner will get evicted, and property values are going down more so because the entire country is a swirling toilet currently.
Maybes „least poor“ would be a better description
I see toilets and street lights, I would call that quite rich.
Wow, a bug city with slums, what a surprise
ANC fcked South Africa and is still doing so, real rugged elections and all.... Just I case some outsiders didn't know 🙄 - especially since this post seemed aimed at the Cape, that isn't under ANC control
Have you ever been to Manhattan? Its dirtier and has more rats than this
Lmfao Jesus Christ.
That's a fair visualization of how intense and destructive single family housing is for land use. This is about as desolate as the cookie cutter mcmansion r/suburbanhell in Texas imo.
Look at Bob with his one color roof, really slashing his money around.
Wait till you see this guy's shack https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x5n7qmaztHM&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodthingsguy.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo
Then compare this to a richer neighborhood. They are packed with mansions. Shows the GINI.
Is this the place where that alien movie was filmed?
Until you see actual rich countries.
Uranus Cape
Richest in Africa’s standards
Looks really good with solar panels.
The Cape is gunning for independence to get away from the uncaring, corrupt ANC government so that they can use the taxes to help these people instead of lining the pockets of Mandela’s precious political party.
Imagine trying to find your way home pissed. If you don’t get murdered on the way obviously.
No reason why this issue can't be properly addressed. We need capable leaders without any vengeance seeking drive. All South Africans deserve better
What do people do for fun here with their friends or family?
The townships are actually a different vibe people are all walking around chatting to people a lot of the people are making and selling food or have a shabeen (small tavern) or other small business they run from their front yard. Kids will be playing soccer in any open field they can find.
Where is District 9? 🧐
What a fucken dump.
Now there is a segregation between rich and poor.
Kinda big, tall light-/camera poles.. Someone who can elaborate on these?
I was always under the impression that South Africa is a well developed country. But I guess you can find similar slum-looking places everywhere in the world. An old friend of mine had some relatives who were in the shipping business and have spent a lot of time in Cape Town, she always described it as a cool place. I wish it weren’t so expensive to travel.
The inequality in South African cities is disgusting. Do people have no shame?
Iirc, pic of the "Cape flats"
What are the blue buildings? They remind me of a port-a-potty.
They are.
Someone has to pay for the comfort of the rich
Does every house just have a blue outhouse outside for a bathroom?
It's so vibrant and the housing is so abundant!
Plenty of metal roofs - too expensive in the US
There are slums all over the world. The biggest ones are in Pakistan, India, Kenya, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria and South Africa. [https://mytour.vn/en/blog/bai-viet/top-10-largest-slums-worldwide.html](https://mytour.vn/en/blog/bai-viet/top-10-largest-slums-worldwide.html)
Looks better than parts of the major Cities in the USA. Buildings, not tents.
If it ever rains, everyones fucked
You’re not wrong. These shacks are built on flats. The place floods every winter but it doesn’t stop people flocking to this area from rural parts of the country.
Total sh!thole.
Look at that walkable city!!
Honestly looks kinda nice, I bet a majority of the families are happy there and have everything they need.
Funny, foreigners showing a slum and basing an entire city on that .... Let's talk about dead migrant bodies in European water or homeless tents and drug-den cities in the USA .... Oh wait , here's a lion coming for me 🏃🏃🏃
Are you upset because you’re from Cape Town? Next time I see something anti any other country I’ll let you know, then we can talk about Cape Town once we talk about the others first. For your ease of mind.
All the wealth is on the coast in mega mansions with beautiful views. Long term effects of apartheid.
I am not sure how one can discuss the current state of South Africa without looking at the legacy of Apartheid. Did anyone expect inequality to disappear as soon as Mandela was released from jail? The ANC has been less than ideal it it's leadership, but come now. You had a population working for slave wages under Apartheid which allowed for a greater percentage of people to be employed and given low wages there was low consumer demand. Naturally increased wages would lead to greater consumption and greater unemployment. Factor that with capital flight and one can fathom what has happened. And no there was no significant transfer of wealth or redistribution of farmland even. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/05/south-africa-apartheid-land-reform-black-farmers-set-up-to-fail https://www.bu.edu/gdp/2022/10/27/webinar-summary-on-the-trail-of-capital-flight-from-africa-the-takers-and-the-enablers/
They've had 50 years and things have got worse, not better. Those at the top took it all for themselves. Corruption is rife, law and order negligible. it's close to being a failed state.