Masiphumelele
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2007) |
Masiphumelele | ||
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Postal code (street) | 7975 |
Masiphumelele is a township on the
Initially known as Site 5, the township was renamed Masiphumelele by its residents, which is a Xhosa word meaning "let us succeed".
About 400-500 people first settled in the area in the 1980s. During
In 1990, about 8000 residents lived in the area, mostly in shacks, but by 2005, over 26000 people lived there, many in brick homes. In 2010, the population was estimated at 38000.
Amenities are scarce, with an overcrowded school, no police station, and an understaffed day clinic, while it's estimated that 30-40% of the community are infected with HIV and/or TB.[3] SHAWCO, the University of Cape Town Student's Health And Welfare Centres Organisation, runs weekly supplementary clinics from the Masiphumelele clinic.
History
Masiphumelele has been the site of numerous protests over the years. Most of the protests have been connected to service delivery and anger over corruption in government housing projects.[4][5]
On May 12, 2008 a series of riots started in the township of
On May 2, 2011 a fire that started around 1 am engulfed and burned down an estimated 1500 informal and formal residences. The fire killed one and displaced an estimated 5000 people.
High rates of violent crime and a lack of appropriate policing in the area resulted in serious protest action by the community in 2015.[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Sub Place Masiphumelele". Census 2011.
- ^ "MasiCorp Demographics". MasihumeleleCorporation. Archived from the original on 18 September 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- ^ "Living Hope Masi Page". Living Hope. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- ^ "Fears of more service delivery protests". Cape Times.
- ^ "Burning message to the state in the fire of poor's rebellion". BusinessDay.
- ^ "South African mob kills migrants". BBC. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- ^ "SA leader orders army to deploy". BBC. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- ^ "Tutu applauds Masiphumelele". Independent Online. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- ^ Mortlock, Monique (September 2015). "Masiphumelele reiterates calls for proper policing". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
External links
- Overhead views of Masiphumelele by photojournalist Johnny Miller.