South Africa’s dilemma on squatting vs living in shanties

South Africa

Eddie Nogwaxa, the street committee member for RR Section of Site B, Khayelitsha in Cape Town, South Africa. PHOTO | CHRIS ERASMUS

South Africa, like most African countries, has struggled with decades of challenging governance, leaving scars on its social fabric. One such indelible mark has been in the way housing and general planning of urban centres and villages in rural areas has been.

Depending on who you ask, shanty towns in urban areas are either a sign of people seeking out of poverty or just choosing where it pains less to live.