A Divide From The Past Still Felt Today, South Africa
Most commonly known throughout Africa as urban settlements, Townships (Lokasie- Afrikaans language) were introduced during the Apartheid era. Designed as a place where Coloreds and black Africans could relocate to after having been removed from their current homes, newly designated “white-only” territory had divided the nation’s urban zones not only by color but also by socio-economic standing. Township dwellers were forcibly removed and relocated to smaller homes, which were also further from the city center’s where most of the employment could be found.
Today, most South African residential and urban areas house a Township settlement of some sort. The settlements themselves have also become more accepted within mainstream society in that a Township is much like a suburb of a city.
2010 Copyright, Jennifer Campos
