Carte Blanche: Shack City in Johannesburg
Sunday, 31 March’s episode of Carte Blanche investigates the one-room shacks made of paper-thin iron sheets that the City of Johannesburg is building for those who have been displaced.
But what looks like a cheaply built infrastructure has a multi-million rand price tag.
The City of Johannesburg (COJ) is building an informal settlement for displaced residents.
With a 500 000 housing backlog, the city has repeatedly failed to deliver on its housing projects, leaving thousands of residents without adequate homes.
Last year, when 77 people died in a massive blaze at the Usindiso building downtown, the city’s skewed priorities and lack of preparedness were exposed.
Every municipality is required to provide temporary shelters for residents caught in a major disaster – but the COJ hadn’t made any arrangements.
So, it built 300 one-room, paper-thin tin shacks at an eye-watering R4.2 million.
But should shacks cost ratepayers millions of rands?
For more on this story, don’t miss this Sunday’s episode.
Carte Blanche first aired in 1988
Carte Blanche is a South African investigative journalism television series that airs on M-Net every Sunday at 19:00.
Its first episode aired on 21 August 1988 and over the last 34-plus years has earned credibility among South African viewers for its investigation into corruption, consumer issues, and current events.
Follow The South African website on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Get everything you need to know on the go at your convenience!
Stay in touch by clicking on the comment tab below this article or by sending and email to info@thesouthafrican.com or a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1