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Zandspruit, Johannesburg

Twenty-five years ago, the informal settlement was once a piece of land with a few houses scattered around. Today over 30 000 people call Zandspruit home! "People from all over South Africa and even neighbouring countries, live in Zandspruit, some mostly employed in Johannesburg. However, as was evident at 10am on a Thursday morning, with many residents roaming the streets, unemployment is one of the biggest issues facing by the community, along with a lack of electricity. In the March of 2016, residents went on a rampage after Eskom switched off the power grid due to illegal connections!"- Randburgsun
Geolocation
-26° 2' 27.8241", 27° 53' 10.4461"
References
https://randburgsun.co.za/295350/inside-zandspruit/
Further Reading
https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/rampage-after-eskom-cuts-power-in-zandspruit-1998884 https://www.sahrc.org.za/index.php/sahrc-media/news/item/2735-commission-meets-with-zandspruit-community-on-mob-justice https://randburgsun.co.za/286083/how-chaos-erupted-in-zandspruit/

Diepsloot, Johannesburg

Diepsloot is a densely populated township in the North of Johannesburg, South Africa. Diepsloot, loosely translated as "deep ditch" from the Afrikaans, is one of Johannesburg's most densely populated townships. Established in 1994, by what was at the time known as: 'the Rand Provincial Administration'; for people who had initially been evicted from informal settlements in Honeydew, Sevenfontein, Zandspruit and Alexandra. It is made up of fully government-subsidised housing, brick houses built by landowners, partially government subsidised houses as well as shacks. (These shacks are built on any piece of land with nothing already on it. Some landowners charge rent to others to stay in a shack on their land.) There are an estimated 50 000 plus shacks alongside more than 8 000 formal housing units, such as RDP (RDP houses: a house that was built as part of a government-funded social housing project) houses, self-built houses on serviced sites, and a small number of bank-financed houses. The formal dwellings are mostly brick structures on separate stands, with access to electricity, tap water, flush or chemical toilets and refuse removal at least once a week. In less than 20 years, Diepsloot has grown into a bustling neighbourhood covering approximately 5 square kilometres with a population of more than 350,000. Statistics South Africa says Diepsloot has an employment rate of only; between 53% to 56 %. Despite its socio-economic challenges, Diepsloot is a vibrant neighbourhood with residents that are optimistic and determined to make better lives for themselves. There are a number of active community development organisations in Diepsloot including The Diepsloot Community Development Forum, Diepsloot Arts and Culture Network, WASSUP Diepsloot, Diepsloot Youth Projects etc.
Geolocation
28° 1' 4.8", -25° 56' 13.2"
References
https://www.dyp.co.za/what-and-where-is-diepsloot/
Further Reading
https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/diepsloot-slum-upgrade-by-global-studio/ https://www.dw.com/en/a-glimpse-inside-johannesburgs-diepsloot-slum/a-17720678 https://www.newstalk.com/news/diepsloot-south-africas-forgotten-township-838890 https://www.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/the-poor-starving-and-forgotten-people-of-diepsloot-we-are-not-going-to-survive-this-virus-20200330 http://www.diepsloot.com/Business/ https://www.dyp.co.za/ -Diepsloot Youth Program