Check out the latest news: Blikkiesdorp Community Upliftment Project
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 Town”, 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. 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 tin and zinc sheets.
They are of 18 square meters in size. Ablution, sanitation, and water facilities are shared between four structures. Blikkiesdorp has become well-known for its high crime rate, its substandard living conditions, and it’s extremely hot or cold, windy and sandy living environment. It has been called an informal settlement by City of Cape Town officials despite its formal structure being built by the government. It has also been compared to a concentration camp by residents and in national and international media.
