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Langa Town Ship
I visited a “township” today (slums in S. Africa) in the Western Cape, near Cape Town Airport. It is called Langa, and means, rising sun. A township is an area which was built to relocate black and coloured people away from city centres when the Apartheid came around in the 1950s.
This particular one was created as a result of a States Act in 1966 which declared this district as a white-only zone. All the people were therefore relocated to townships around the city, including Langa. Today, it is 5km2 for 250,000 people. That’s 50,000 per km2!!! The township is completely legal, as it was built by the Government. It is only the shacks built around the township which are illegal for the first 48h of when they were built. The township council is then forced, after 48h, to acknowledge the existence of a new shack and provide it with basic services such as electricity, water, toilets and showers. At least that is what we were told.
The Government is today trying to renovate the old townships. This includes attempts to reduce the amount of people per house, which can be very high. We visited this house where 12 families would live, with 6 people on average per family, in less than 150m2! The people we talked to have been living in these conditions for 40 years now without complaints. Makes you think of how lucky some of us are…
On this shot are pictured township shacks (not built by the Government during Apartheid). Most of these shacks have been built by people relocating from the rural areas into town in an attempt to make a better living. They do have electricity but they share water, toilets and showers. Unemployment in these areas is 60%, and no child labour is permitted. The people were surprisingly welcoming and glad some of us would take back knowledge to our own countries and spread this kind of knowledge. As they say, this is also South Africa, it’s not just the modern Shopping Malls etc, it’s also whatever traces are left from History.
View South Africa Trip April 2009 in a larger map
- Camera: NIKON D80
- Taken: 1 May, 2009
- Shutter speed: 1/400 s
- Aperture: f/5
- Focal length: 62 mm
- ISO: 200
Facebook comments:
I am a graphic designer currently working (pro-bono) for a newly formed charity in the UK called “Langa Township Pre-School Trust”.
I am seeking to put together a photographic library of pictures that could be used in future printed publicity material and on a website currently under development. (www.ltpt.org.uk)
Whilst searching the internet I came across this picture and I am wondering if you would give us permission to include it. We would be happy to acknowledge any copyright.
Thank you,
Best wishes
Jeff Wallis