What are shanty towns in South Africa?
A shanty town often referred to as a squatter community, is a group of improvised buildings, also known as shanties or shacks, that are frequently made of mud and wood. A typical shanty town is initially occupied and devoid of the necessary infrastructure, including adequate hygienic conditions, a steady supply of safe water, electricity, and…
A shanty town often referred to as a squatter community, is a group of improvised buildings, also known as shanties or shacks, that are frequently made of mud and wood. A typical shanty town is initially occupied and devoid of the necessary infrastructure, including adequate hygienic conditions, a steady supply of safe water, electricity, and street drainage.
The infrastructure of a shanty town can develop over time, and some even become middle-class neighbourhoods. Millions of people may be housed in these modest informal settlements, or perhaps a few thousand.
The name “shanty” may have originated in Scottish Gaelic, where the words “sean” and “taigh” denote “old” and “house,” respectively, or it may have been taken from the Canadian French word “chantier,” which describes the accommodations of low-level laborers.
Some of the largest slum regions worldwide are Ciudad Neza in Mexico, Orangi in Pakistan, and Dharavi in India. They go under several names, including Favela in Brazil, villa Miseria in Argentina, and Gecekondu in Turkey, among others. While shanty towns are more common in developing nations, they can also be found in developed country cities like Athens, Los Angeles, and Madrid.
Canada Real is considered the largest unofficial settlement in Europe, whereas Skid Row is a notorious shantytown in Los Angeles. Around railroad sidings, marshes, and disputed construction sites, shanties may occasionally be seen.
What are shanty towns in South Africa?
Every city in South Africa has slum areas. The slums in South Africa include Bonteheuwel, Crossroads, Dunoon, Flamingo Crescent , Gugulethu , Joe Slovo , Khayelitsha , Langa, Nyanga, Philippi, Santini, Chatsworth, Inanda , Kennedy Road , KwaDabeka . KwaMashu , Ntuzuma , Piesangriver and many others
