Neha Patil (Editor)

Blikkiesdorp

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Country
  
South Africa

Municipality
  
City of Cape Town

Province
  
Western Cape

Established
  
2007

Blikkiesdorp httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsee

Blikkiesdorp was a temporary relocation area


Symphony Way Temporary Relocation Area in Delft, Cape Town, better known by its nickname Blikkiesdorp, is a relocation camp made-up of corrugated iron shacks. Blikkiesdorp, which is Afrikaans for "Tin Can Town", was given its name by residents because of the row-upon-row of tin-like one room structures throughout the settlement.

Contents

Blikkiesdorp Blikkiesdorp photo gallery

South african townships by drone ep 01 blikkiesdorp cape town


Settlement structure

Blikkiesdorp 3000 Blikkiesdorp residents to be relocated Future Cape Town

Blikkiesdorp was built by the City of Cape Town in 2007 built in response to a court order. It contains approximately 1,600 one-room structures. According to government officials, it has cost over 30 million rand to build.

Blikkiesdorp Blikkiesdorp A place worse than hell Daily Maverick

The structures have walls and roofs made of thin tin and zinc sheets. They are of 18 square meters in size. Ablution, sanitation, and water facilities are shared between four structures.

Conditions and criticisms

Blikkiesdorp People in Blikkies An Insult to our Young Democracy Lila

Blikkiesdorp is regarded as unsafe and it has become well known for its high crime rate, its substandard living conditions, and its extremely hot or cold, windy and sandy living environment. Residents have been reported to be suffering from depression.

Blikkiesdorp South African Townships By Drone Ep 01 Blikkiesdorp Cape Town

It has been called an informal settlement by City of Cape Town officials despite its formal structure being built by the government. In response to the criticisms, the City has called Blikkiesdorp the safest informal settlement in Cape Town. It has also been compared to a concentration camp by residents and in national and international media.

Blikkiesdorp Blikkiesdorp Never Once

The City of Cape Town has been criticised for its role in creating Blikkiesdorp. Premier Helen Zille and Mayor Dan Plato have come under fire from residents on many occasions. On 18 November Dan Plato was visibly harassed by residents who claimed he had lied about when they would receive better housing.

NGOs, international human rights organisations, and the Anti-Eviction Campaign have publicly criticised the conditions in Blikkiesdorp and how they say it is used to reinforce the eviction of poor families especially to make way for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Residents have also threatened to burn down Blikkiesdorp because of the bad conditions in the settlement. Ahead of the 2010 World Cup the British anti-poverty charity War on Want created a virtual model of Blikkiesdorp featuring videos of residents talking about conditions in the settlement.

Blikkiesdorp has also been compared with the alien camp called District 9 from the international hit movie on numerous occasions. This even earned it a front page spread in the South African tabloid The Daily Voice.

Evictions

Blikkiesdorp has been instrumental in relocating residents evicted from elsewhere in the City. Many evicted residents of Salt River and Woodstock have found themselves in the relocation camp almost 30 kilometers away from town. It has been called a dumping ground for unwanted and or homeless people from all over Cape Town. The evicted Symphony Way Pavement Dwellers were moved to Blikkiesdorp in October 2009 after occupying Symphony Way for almost two years.

Police Brutality

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has been implicated in draconian policing measures in Blikkiesdorp Temporary Relocation Area in Delft, Cape Town. Police have been accused of suppression of freedoms and illegal curfews. They have also been accused of gratuitous violence against innocent bystanders during drug raids and turning the settlement into a concentration camp.

Films and Books

  • No Land! No House! No Vote! Voices from Symphony Way is an anthology written by the Symphony Way Pavement Dwellers about their - at the time - pending eviction to Blikkiesdorp
  • 'Tin Town', a short documentary on the Symphony Way community in Blikkiesdorp
  • Tin Town: the unaccountable cost of the 2010 World Cup
  • References

    Blikkiesdorp Wikipedia