A mainly white squatter camp, outside White River in Mpumalanga, is rapidly expanding. For two years, residents have been living with limited resources.
Formed in the wake of the collapse of apartheid, the area symbolises a reversal of fortunes for the country’s white population who were once almost guaranteed employment.
Beyond the unstable shacks, lie ditches and pools of muddy, stagnant water. Despite this, the squatter camp is fast growing. Anneline Strydom has been living in the camp for two years.
“It’s hard but we are living. We have food every night and we have a room over our head. It’s hard but we are living,” she says.
Erratic weather makes their living conditions even harder.
“When it rains it is difficult, because you’re limited to a tent or a caravan. You just have to stay in your caravan or tent and that makes it difficult; but you get used to that as well,” says resident, Brain Thorne.
Willemien Reyneke turned her plot of land into a camp over two year ago.
“The first thing they need is better shelter to stay in. They haven’t got any electricity at the moment and maybe water can also help a lot. We are getting water but there are no really nice taps and bathrooms,” he says.
Even though this community has fallen on hard times they are making do with what they have to keep this camp going.
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