Imizamo Yethu

Imizamo Yethu
Imizamo Yethu Township
Imizamo Yethu Show map of Western Cape Imizamo Yethu Show map of South Africa Imizamo Yethu Show map of Africa  Imizamo Yethu shown within Western Cape
Location within Cape Town  Imizamo Yethu
Coordinates: 34°1′S 18°21′E / 34.017°S 18.350°E / -34.017; 18.350Coordinates: 34°1′S 18°21′E / 34.017°S 18.350°E / -34.017; 18.350
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
Municipality	City of Cape Town
Area
• Total	0.57 km2 (0.22 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	15,538
• Density	27,000/km2 (71,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	91.6%
• Coloured	3.7%
• Indian/Asian	0.2%
• White	0.1%
• Other	4.4%
First languages (2011)
• Xhosa	59.5%
• English	10.7%
• Afrikaans	4.7%
• Zulu	3.4%
• Other	21.7%
Postal code (street)	7806

Imizamo Yethu (Xhosa, meaning "Our Efforts" and commonly known as Mandela Park), is an informal settlement in the greater Hout Bay Valley area. The 18 hectare settlement houses approximately 33 600 people with little or no infrastructure for sustainable living. The settlement has dismal water facilities; there have very few toilets and no sewerage system. The Disa River which runs through this settlement has the highest level of e-coli bacteria that has ever been recorded in South Africa.

The community living conditions were improved by the Niall Mellon Township Trust with their People's Housing Process in 2002. This non-profit organisation based in Ireland sent volunteers to build several hundred basic homes for individuals in Imizamo Yethu.

For tourists interested in learning the everyday lives of people in IY (the local name for the township), residents provide tours of the preschool, day care, barber shop, auto shop, orphanage, grocery store and local pub. For a small fee, they can answer any questions and introduce you to many of the wonderful people who call this place their home. Many locals will also warmly invite tourists into their homes where they sell beautiful hand-made bead work and jewelry.