Cape Flats

The term Cape Flats refers to a flat, sandy stretch of land that is located on the outskirts of the city of Cape Town. It has been described as the "dumping ground of apartheid" and it is here that people of colour were relocated to, in terms of the post apartheid Group Areas Act.

Even with exotic sounding names like Bishop Lavis, Steenberg, Hanover Park, Bonteheuwel, Manenberg, Elsies River, Langa (Sun), Nyanga (Moon), Gugulethu (Our pride), Khayelitsha (Our new home) and many others, living in the townships is not for the faint-hearted, whilst most of the townships are coloured, only four are home to Africans.

For the most parts, the townships are dreary places, bordering on qualifying for the description of "urban ghettoes". Houses are usually tiny and overcrowded, and in most townships, there are blocks upon blocks of flats that are equally tiny and serve as a breeding ground for gang and other unsavory activities.

Having said the above, one would probably expect negative and condemnatory words regarding the townships, possibly yes, because everyone has the right to a decent shelter.

But at the same time, townships are a lekker (Nice) place to be, there is a vibe that is unique to the Cape Flats - a vibe that has emerged as new communities were forged, whist the single most important characteristic of the Cape Flats is its people, their sense of humour, and the ability of the people to see the funny side of every situation.

The language of the Cape Flats is dynamic, expressive and forever in a process of change. This is commonly known as "Kapie-taal" (Cape people’s language) and is predominantly Afrikaans, but includes English and a few Xhosa words.