Bread Appeal for Driftsand & Westbank Communities

On Saturday 16th August, COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROJECTS will be handing out warm food and bread to the Driftsand & Westbank communities. We humbly request donations towards the 700 loaves. Please contact any of our members to arrange for drop offs.

Driftsands

The informal settlements in Driftsands, Cape Town, notably the Covid informal settlement, largely emerged in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when thousands of families occupied land within the formerly designated Driftsands Nature Reserve. This area, established in 1983 for conservation, has experienced significant encroachment since 2004, with the Covid informal settlement rapidly expanding between April and September 2020, as seen in satellite imagery.

The rise of informal settlements in Cape Town, including Driftsands, is linked to broader issues of urbanization and the legacy of apartheid spatial planning, which has created a demand for alternative housing solutions. The City of Cape Town acknowledges the challenges of upgrading these settlements due to various constraints, including environmental regulations and the lack of suitable alternative land

Westbank

The Westbank housing project in Cape Town began between 1997 and 2000, with its establishment in 1998 as part of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) to address housing needs in the post-Apartheid era. Wesbank was designed to reallocate approximately 25,000 people who previously lacked home ownership or lived in informal settlements, particularly in the Cape Flats. Westbank is considered to be the first “Rainbow Nation” in this area, giving home to deprived people, irrespective of colour.