On Friday a friend and I went for a stroll through Masiphumelele Township. Here are some images from that day.
About Masiphumelele
Masiphumelele is a township in Cape Town, South Africa, situated between Kommetjie and Noordhoek.
Initially known as Site 5, the township was renamed Masiphumelele by its residents, which is a Xhosa word meaning "We will succeed".
About 400-500 people first settled in the area in the 1980s. During apartheid residents were continually removed to the suburb of Khayelitsha, over 30 km away, but the numbers began to grow as apartheid began to unravel from 1990.
In 1990, about 8000 residents lived in the area, mostly in shacks, but by 2005, over 26000 people live there, many in brick homes. Many are from the old Ciskei bantustan in the Eastern Cape.
(Source: Wikipedia)
 |
| Masi toddler |
Masi is home to about 25,000 residents, many very poor, most living in shacks, all coping with the resultant economic and social deprivation and often difficult health problems. Life is tough in Masiphumelele.
Fortunately, the people of Masiphumelele are equally tough – they are determined to help themselves. They have a spirit of self-determination and optimism that inspires us to help them.
(Source: masicorp)
 |
| Two charming young men |
Get Involved
Many locals and visitors would like to do more to help those South Africans in the informal settlements to improve their lives.
There are many ways for volunteers to help the community of Masi - www.masicorp.org explains:
We have a great team of people and many interesting and rewarding programmes in which to work. We can help you find a programme or project where you can help make a real difference to the lives of those we serve in Masiphumelele.
We can help you arrange something to suit your timetable – some of our volunteers work many hours every week, some just a few. We have volunteers who work with us throughout the year and others who come and go. We can be very flexible.
We can help you find a role that makes use of your experience of life and work, your academic or professional qualifications or something new you would like to learn. Whatever work we help you find, we can promise it will be rewarding because it is helping others to help themselves.
 |
| Friday afternoon in Masiphumelele |
 |
| A curious toddler at the shebeen checking out my camera |
 |
| Castle Lager - local beer in the shebeen |
Visit a South African Township
