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15-576: 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 Village", was given its name by residents because of the row-upon-row of tin-like one room structures throughout the settlement. Blikkiesdorp was built by the City of Cape Town in 2007 in response to

30-726: A court order. It contains approximately 1,600 one-room structures. According to government officials, it has cost over 30 million rand to build. The structures have walls and roofs made of thin galvanised corrugated iron sheets. They are of 18 square meters in size. Ablution, sanitation, and water facilities are shared between four structures. 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. It has been called an informal settlement by city of Cape Town officials despite its formal structure being built by

45-593: Is a mixed community of both Xhosa-speaking and Afrikaans-speaking people. Voorbrug, The Hague, Roosendal and Eindhoven are predominantly populated by Afrikaans-speaking coloured people. In 2008, Delft was in the news because of the controversial N2 Gateway housing project. The shackdwellers of Joe Slovo Informal Settlement in Cape Town have publicly refused to be forcibly removed to Delft. Also, in December 2008, backyard dwellers occupied over 1,000 N2 Gateway houses in

60-527: Is one of the largest informal settlements in South Africa . While residents have been fighting for 15 years for their right to live in Langa, the settlement recently came into prominence when it began to oppose the national pilot housing project of minister Lindiwe Sisulu called The N2 Gateway . Residents have opposed the government's request that they be forcibly removed to Delft , a new township on

75-1073: The South African tabloid The Daily Voice . 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. 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

90-652: The Symphony which is the main part of the N2 Gateway Pilot Project as well as Temporary Relocation Areas (TRAs) such as Tsunami and the Symphony Way TRA. Delft is a big township. It is divided into 7 places (divisions) namely Delft South (also known as Suburban), Voorbrug, Leiden (Delft Central), Eindhoven, Roosendal, The Hague and the new Symphony section. Delft South is predominantly populated by Xhosa-speaking people, Leiden (Delft Central)

105-458: 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

120-443: 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. 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 2009 Dan Plato

135-561: The houses. This was believed to have been temporary housing for the evicted dwellers; however, they are still occupying "Blikkiesdorp" for the past five years . Joe Slovo, Cape Town Joe Slovo is an informal settlement in Langa, and in Milnerton Cape Town . Like many other informal settlements, it was named after former housing minister and anti- Apartheid activist, Joe Slovo . With over 20,000 residents, Joe Slovo

150-539: The new Symphony section of Delft. DA Councillor Frank Martin who was accused of inciting thousands of poor people to occupy these houses. Eventually, the families who occupied the houses were violently evicted by police who used rubber bullets to put down the protest. News of the violent repression reached international news with some people saying that it has severely hurt South Africa's reputation. Evicted residents are now living in makeshift shacks on Symphony Way which has widely become known as " Blikkiesdorp " across from

165-764: The night at the Methodist Church in Braamfontein, and arrived the morning early at the Constitutional Court to protest proposed evictions. They were accompanied in solidarity by the Anti-Eviction Campaign as well as residents from Symphony Way , an informal settlement that is also in conflict with the government over the N2 Gateway Housing Project . The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions and

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180-663: The outskirts of the city. After a High Court ruling by controversial Judge John Hlophe in favor of the Government, many experts in constitutional law have claimed the ruling to be unjust and against the South African Constitution . Since then, residents have appealed the decision and taken it to the South African Constitutional Court . In August 2008, about 200 Joe Slovo residents travelled by train to Johannesburg, spent

195-473: The settlement into a concentration camp . Delft, Cape Town Delft was established in 1989. It is a rapidly expanding community found within District D: Tygerberg. This community was originally established as an integrated service land project for 'coloureds' and 'blacks'. Delft is situated approximately 34 km east of Cape Town, and approximately 7.5 km from Bellville. It

210-616: Was established to be one of Cape Town's first mixed race township including coloured and black residents. In 2000, it had a population between 25,000 and 92,000 inhabitants. According to the 2011 census, Delft was 51% Coloured and 46% Black African with 3% "other". The dominant first languages are Afrikaans and Xhosa while English is widely used as second language. The majority of residents have not finished their matric. Official unemployment levels are at about 43% (although unofficially, this might be much higher). Much of Delft consists of government housing projects. The newest projects are

225-496: 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

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