Wallacedene, Cape Town
Encyclopedia
Wallacedene is an informal housing settlement
in the eastern suburbs of Cape Town
, South Africa
. The settlement was established during the 1980s when the relaxation of pass laws
allowed rural populations to more readily migrate to urban centres. By 2004, Wallacedene had an estimated population of 21,000 people. The housing rights
activist Irene Grootboom
lived in Wallacedene.
Shanty town
A shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
in the eastern suburbs of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The settlement was established during the 1980s when the relaxation of pass laws
Pass laws
Pass laws in South Africa were designed to segregate the population and limit severely the movements of the non-white populace. This legislation was one of the dominant features of the country's apartheid system. The Black population were required to carry these pass books with them when outside...
allowed rural populations to more readily migrate to urban centres. By 2004, Wallacedene had an estimated population of 21,000 people. The housing rights
Right to housing
The right to housing is the economic, social and cultural right to adequate housing and shelter. It is recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.- Definition :...
activist Irene Grootboom
Irene Grootboom
Irene Grootboom was a South African housing rights activist best known for her victory before the Constitutional Court in 2000. The Court found that the government had not met its obligation to provide adequate housing for the residents of Cape Town's Wallacedene informal settlement...
lived in Wallacedene.